The tattoo is a growing trend. In 2017, according to an Ifop survey carried out for the National Union of Tattoo Artists, 14% of French people over the age of 18 were tattooed (i.e. 16% of women and 10% of men). In 2010, this statistic was only 10%!
Long a symbol of rebellion and reserved for the marginalized, the tattoo is today a fashion accessory like any other, which allows you to assert your style and your personality.
But what do our tattoos really mean? A recent study by the University of Miami (in the United States) published in the International Journal of Dermatology seriously considered the issue. The researchers worked from medical data concerning 2008 Americans, collected in 2016. They were particularly interested in risk behaviors and the health of tattooed people.
Tattoos and risky behaviors: a link?
First info: homosexuals are more likely to get tattoos than heterosexuals. The tattoo would concern more people in couple (or divorced) than single people. Among the volunteers studied, 30% suffered from a mental disorder (anorexia, bipolar disorder, depression, etc.); 42.3% of them were tattooed.
On the side of risky behaviors, the researchers found that 49.3% of regular smokers had a tattoo, compared to 28.1% of non-smokers. People with tattoos had, on average, known 1.5 sexual partners in the past 12 months, compared to 1.1 for those without tattoos.
The scientists add that “the frequency and intensity of risky behaviors are proportional to the number of tattoos as well as their visibility”. They recognize, however, the limits of their work: “we do not know if the tattoos are prior to or consecutive to health problems and risky behaviors”. An instructive study.
Read also :
10 things to know before getting a tattoo
The trend of scented temporary tattoos
Teen Tattoos: What Do Parents Think?
