When someone takes a look at your tattoo and says, "Bet that hurt," they're usually talking about the process, not the look…
Turns out it’s become a bit of a trend for people to get ink tatted to look EXACTLY like a bruise.
Tattoo artist @limhanbee is known for showing off her work on Instagram that looks just as painful when it’s fresh as it does when it’s healed.
And it seems the most popular request is to get the bruise in unnatural shapes including love hearts, stars and smiley faces.
US tattoo artist SJ Horvath also shares the process of creating bruise tattoos, and it truly is a very intricate and detailed process.
“I know, it sounds silly, but [bruises] are like tiny little galaxies under the surface. We were convinced they were tattooable,” she revealed to Inked Mag.
People are super impressed by how realistic the bruises are or hella confused about why people would want to be permanently bruised in the first place.
“OMG, people are really getting bruise tattoos! I didn’t know that was a thing. It’s kinda cool,” someone wrote on SJ’s work.
"Cool design, but kinda freaky," wrote one commenter on @limhanbee's Insta. While another added: "It’s so weird, but I love it 🤣❤️."
However, others asked: "Why are we glamorising bruises?" and "Why do people think that those types of damage or bruises on the skin are cool??"
SJ says there are loads of reasons why people are getting these special effects tatts - some do it to prevent self-harm, some to go against society’s 'beauty standards', some to remember going through a tough time, and others just think it looks cool.
“It’s not my place to judge anyone; Just to provide a service that is well done in a clean and safe environment.”
But it’s not always about replicating injuries. A lot of people are into the shading style and colour of the tatts.
Tattooist @limhanbee also uses a similar shading technique to create a fun, almost watercoloured-like sketch.
What do we reckon? Would you get one of these?!
