With the evolution in fashion, body tattoos and piercings are at the vanguard of the body art movement in all over the world. While the concept of body alteration for the purpose of individual appearance absolutes to capture far more disturbing practices such as surgical scion, tattoos and piercings are the route chosen by most enthusiasts. There has been an increasing popularity of these types of body art; hence the movement from being on the so called lunatic is now a part of mainstream society.

Tattoos and piercings are a part of ancient human history. Both methods of body decoration have been used for centuries either as artistic expression of the self as they are now or, more commonly, as a way for tribal peoples to denote social status, express some religious significance, and denote one's marital status. Although tattoo designs have most certainly evolved over the ages and piercing methods have become more sanitary and safe, neither of them is anything new.

Tribal tattoos are an obvious throwback to the roots of tattooing, with different designs and styles originating from different parts of the world, and many of the cultures that practiced tattooing also practiced body piercing. Tribal piercing was quite different than the body piercing we practice today, but many of today's piercing styles are direct descendants of tribal styles.

There’s no hard evidence. But the correlation has local acupuncturists and body piercers intrigued — and baffled. Body piercing evolved in a similar fashion, with various piercing styles considered acceptable by different cultures at different times in history. As little as thirty years ago in the US, for example, it was commonplace for women to have pierced ears but was considered as either a sign of rebellion or even homosexuality for a man. Pierced noses, lips, nipples, and even genitals were unheard of and would have been absolutely shocking to most people. Today all of these are commonplace. While the number of people who pierce their genitals is still comparatively small, no one really reacts with shock when they hear of someone who has had it done. All of these piercings have been practiced regularly at some point in history. Even the famed "Prince Albert" piercing (which is a piercing in the penis) comes from one of the most infamously sexually repressed societies, Victorian England.

One of the most talked about body placements for a tattoo design is the breast tattoo. This could coincide with the fact that breasts are often a topic of discussion in general. Forums throughout the World Wide Web show people debating ad museum about the aesthetic value and even the safety of breast tattoos. Obviously, very few people feel the breast is a "gray area" in regard to using them as a canvas for body art. Many women with breast tattoos choose to get inked to commemorate a turning point in their lives. Some women get them to celebrate sexuality, to enhance an already beautiful body part and make it more eye-catching. Or in the adverse, to make a statement that her body is her own, and if her taste in art offends you, perhaps her time is better spent elsewhere.

Just deciding to get inked is a major decision, but getting tattooed on your face is a serious commitment - one that you can't renege on easily. Facial tattoos are highly visible, and next to impossible to hide, and these are usually the very reasons why people want them in the first place. They feel compelled to use their body art to make a statement they can't back away from. Sometimes it's just a desire to rebel against the norm, other times it's a genuine desire to push boundaries and open people's minds to something new. Whatever the reason for choosing facial art, there is one thing for sure; it's going to get a reaction. Although facial tats have been a common practice among native peoples for centuries, they have not been accepted as well by modern society. A person with body art on his face may find himself the center of attention wherever he goes, and reactions will run the gamut from appreciative to negative to purely curious.

Granted, it’s only been three months. But if you’re a victim of chronic anxiety — paralyzing panic attacks several times a week, usually for no reason — three months feels like a new life. Like coming up for breathe after 29 years under water. Ayurveda tells women to piece their left nostrils with a gold post. That is supposed to ease childbirth and menstrual pain by giving a warming, energetic balance to the cooling right ("lunar") side of the brain, which rules the left side of the body. A tattoo on a marma point, such as the palm of the hand, or a piercing at a marma point, such as the "Nabhi Marma" (navel) serves a similar function as marma massage or acupuncture. The energy change is not long-term — positively or negatively. The energy of marmas will eventually redistribute around the piercing.

Unlike the deeper needling in Chinese acupuncture, Japanese acupuncture uses more superficial stimuli. And throughout history, people have tattooed their bodies on specific points to "re-regulate nerves,". Europe’s oldest natural human mummy, found frozen in the Alps, sported 57 tattoo marks on his body on the acupuncture points for osteo-arthritis. An X-ray found he had arthritis, suggesting he had been tattooed for medical reasons.

The best way to getting a facial tattoo is to try one on for size before you commit to the real thing. You may pick your design and find a henna artist to create some temporary tats on your face. By the time the henna begins to fade, you'll have had a small taste of society's reaction to your facial art. Perhaps you'll decide that permanent ink is not the way to go. On the other hand, the experience may actually strengthen your commitment to go for it. Whatever you decide, you'll at least have done everything you could to help you make a decision you can live with, and you will have to live with your facial tats so be sure they're what you really want.