Wrist Tattoos

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 such images as flowers, Celtic knot bands and even barbed wire.

Other popular images for wrist ink include stars, compasses, words and names, hearts and kanji. As this part of the body is not as big in area as a leg or back, more complicated tattoos are often left to other parts of the body.

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 what style or image. Remember that most workplaces with a formal dress code will not allow visible tattoos. So, if you are planning to wear short sleeves or get a tattoo that extends onto the hand, this may be a problem.

Tattoos on the inner wrist are quite painful as tattoos go, because there is little fat and muscle to cushion the needle. Additionally, because of the high mobility of this area, these tattoos may take longer to heal and require touchups at some point down the road.

Wrist Tat Resources

Celtic knot - a popular wrist image.

• 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.

• Celebrity Tattoo Pictures
• Cross Tattoos
• Star Tattoos
• Wrist Tattoos
• Heart Tattoos

• Wristband Tattoos
• Arm Tattoos
• Wedding Ring Tattoos
• Neck Tattoos
• Shoulder Tattoos

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• Celebrity Tattoo Quiz