Wrist tattoos are a popular type of tat for both men and women who want to show off their ink. While this tattoo placement is highly visible, there are many designs that are tasteful and can be worn with pride. Be careful if your workplace frowns on visible tattoos, however, since a wrist tat is hard to hide.
Styles of Wrist Tattoos
There are several different types of tattoos that can be inked in the wrist area:
- A bracelet or wristband style of tattoo usually encircles the entire wrist or at least follows the curves of the top and side of the wrist. This type of wrist tat is similar to an armband tattoo, just placed around the wrist instead of the upper arm.
- A tattoo on the top of the wrist is usually the most visible, and can often extend onto the arm or hand. These tattoos can range in size from small to very large.
- Tattoos on the inner wrist are extremely popular, largely because they are less visible than other tats. Some people also prefer an inner wrist tattoo because it is considered to be more interesting, and many have taken their inspiration from the cover of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' album Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magik.
Wrist Tat Ideas
The popularity of wrist tattoos has led to many interesting ideas being executed in ink on people's skin. Women often choose the bracelet style of wrist tats, and in doing so choose images such as:
- Flowers
- Celtic knot bands
- Barbed wire
- Butterflies
- Birds
- Vine
Other popular images for wrist ink include:
Some unique designs to consider are:
- Wrist watch
- Bracelet
- Lyrics to a song
- Divide a phrase between both wrists
Celebrity Wrist Tats
If you are thinking about getting a word or phrase tattooed on your wrist, you're in good company. Many celebrities have this type of wrist tattoo - from Lindsay Lohan's tattoo of the word "breathe" to Gillian Anderson's Sanskrit writing of "everyday". For more images of celebrity wrist ink, check out Vanishing Tattoo's page of celebrity tattoos.
Cautions About Tattoos on the Wrist
There are a few things you should consider before choosing to get a wrist tat, no matter which style or image you choose. Remember that most workplaces with a formal dress code will not allow visible tattoos. If you are planning to wear short sleeves or get a tattoo that extends onto the hand, this may be a problem.
Getting tattooed on the inner wrist is fairly painful because there are little fat and muscle to cushion the needle. Due to the high mobility of this area, these tattoos may also take longer to heal and require touch ups at some point down the road.
Wrist Tat Resources
Browsing various images online can help you make a decision on your final wrist tattoo design. Some online sites to check out include:
- TattooArtists.org has some great pictures of hand and wrist tattoos that are far more detailed than usual.
- BMEzine has a large gallery of hand tattoos, some of which also contain wrist imagery.
- SloDive has over 50 images of cool wrist tattoos for you to check out.
Think It Out
Wrist tattoos are a popular choice for both men and women. They can be a fun way to wear ink and to show off your personal style. Be aware though that this location is not always appropriate for the workplace so make sure that you consider all the pros and cons before committing to a final design.
