In the Dai community, a minority group among the Chinese, tattoos was traditionally done in order to protect individuals from monsters. Initially, children from this community were tattooed at the age of 5 or 6, which was believed to be the best age for this purpose. In the course of time, the tattooing began to be done at the age of 14 or 15, as a symbol of maturity. Dai tattoos did not have any fixed designs, and dragons and tigers were most commonly found. Traditionally, tattooing was done using the juice of plants, which was black in colour.

Iraqis: In Iraq, tattooing was traditionally done for two purposes for decoration and for cure. The designs for tattoos done for beautification were elaborate and beautiful, while the ones done for cure were rather simple. Tattooing was believed to act as a cure in case of various ailments, such as rheumatism, headaches, sprains, and skin and eye infections. Curative tattoos were done at the site of the ailment, for instance, on the temple in case of a headache and near the eyes in case of an eye infection.

Tattooing was believed to have magical powers, and was undertaken in order to cure problems such as infertility. In this case, a single dot or a cluster of dots would be tattooed below the navel of the woman desiring to have a child. This was believed to induce pregnancy. Similarly, it was believed that tattooing a dot on the end of a child's nose would ensure that the child would lead a long life. A triangle made up of dots would be tattooed on the palms of women, to ensure that their husbands would always be faithful to them.

Indians: In India, the tradition of temporarily tattooing the skin using Henna has been prevalent since ages. The custom of applying elaborate designs on the palms of the hands and on the feet during marriages has been the tradition in India since long. Also of note are the motifs painted on the face of brides using black, white and red ink.

According to references made in literature, even deities in India had tattoos on their skin. It is believed that goddess Lakshmi had a tattoo drawn on her hand by Lord Vishnu for the sake of her protection.

Generally, in India, tattooing is considered to be more popular among females than males. Certain tribes in India have been undertaking tattooing since a long time. For instance, in the central part of India, the Muria and Maria groups, tattooing is done on young girls who attain puberty, to symbolize their maturity. This is done using charcoal dust, and iron needles are used for the process.

From the exhaustive description above, it is quite clear that tattoos were used for a variety of purposes in different parts of the world. These are a few instances of tattoo customs around the world, from among many.

Modern tattoos

The art of tattooing has evolved tremendously over time. Everything has changed from the purpose of tattooing to the designs, all over the world. The general perspective about tattooing has changed.

Tattoos have come a long way from being used as symbols of identification and offerings to deities, and have now established themselves as fashion statements. Be it any part of the world, getting one's skin tattooed is hip and happening. It has become a highly personal statement. People prefer getting a design which conveys their own unique flavour. And, this trend is growing. A number of women are now going in for cosmetic tattooing. Women all over the world are discovering the cosmetic benefits that tattooing can provide such as camouflaging a skin defect or having lipstick or eyeliner permanently applied. Tattooing the eyeball is another recent trend in the fashion world.

The way in which the society looks at tattooed people has taken a complete turnaround. People who get tattooed are no longer considered outcasts or weird. In other words, social acceptance of tattooing has increased considerably. This has taken place on account of a number of celebrities from different spheres sporting tattoos Angelina Jolie, Paris Hilton, Sean Penn and Johnny Depp among others.