Genital tattooing is the practice of placing permanent marks under the skin of the

genitals A sex organ (or reproductive organ) is any part of an animal or plant that is involved in sexual reproduction. The reproductive organs together constitute the reproductive system. In animals, the testis in the male, and the ovary in the female, a ...

in the form of

tattoo A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, and/or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several Process of tatt ...

Occurrence

Though tattoos in general have enjoyed an upsurge of popularity, particularly in the west and among younger people, genital tattoos are still relatively rare. There are several probable reasons for this: the genital area is sensitive, it is not often publicly visible, and covered with

hair Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and f ...

. Also, some tattooists refuse to place tattoos in these (and other) areas for a variety of reasons. Genital tattooing may have been decorative surgeries practiced during Paleolithic times and archaeological evidence has survived to our day. Evidence regarding explicit genital male representations were found in art made in Europe approximately 38,000 to 11,000 years ago. However, the primitive meaning of genital ornamentation is not clearly defined.

Motivation

As any other forms of tattoos, the choice may be decorative and genital tattoo designs have been created to decoratively imitate pubic hair, to enhance the appearance of the genitals, or to create whimsical or other designs around the genital area. Some men have incorporated genital tattooing into the creation of a tattoo design in such a way that the

penis A penis (plural ''penises'' or ''penes'' () is the primary sexual organ that male animals use to inseminate females (or hermaphrodites) during copulation. Such organs occur in many animals, both vertebrate and invertebrate, but males do n ...

becomes a part of the overall design motif (for example, as a "nose" in a tattooed face, or as the "trunk" of an elephant). Women have created similar designs, incorporating their genitals into tattooed designs like faces and animals. This practice has long been a part of tattooing, and examples can be seen incorporating the nipples and other parts of the body into designs. Some heavily tattooed people choose to have their genital and

anal Anal may refer to: Related to the anus *Related to the anus of animals: ** Anal fin, in fish anatomy ** Anal vein, in insect anatomy ** Anal scale, in reptile anatomy *Related to the human anus: ** Anal sex, a type of sexual activity involvin ...

regions tattooed to complete the work they have over much of their bodies. Others have used genital tattooing in a

BDSM BDSM is a variety of often erotic practices or roleplaying involving bondage, discipline, dominance and submission, sadomasochism, and other related interpersonal dynamics. Given the wide range of practices, some of which may be engaged ...

context, for example to indicate "ownership" of a submissive by a dominant.

Anatomical locations

Nearly the entire genital region can be tattooed, including the shaft and

head A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals may ...

of the

, the skin of the

scrotum The scrotum or scrotal sac is an anatomical male reproductive structure located at the base of the penis that consists of a suspended dual-chambered sac of skin and smooth muscle. It is present in most terrestrial male mammals. The scrotum cont ...

, the pubic regionNeluis, et al. (December 2014).
Prevalence and implications of genital tattoos: A site not forgotten
, ''BJMP.org''. '' British Journal of Medical Practitioners'', Volume 7, Number 4. and the outer

labia The labia are part of the female genitalia; they are the major externally visible portions of the vulva. In humans, there are two pairs of labia: the ''labia majora'' (or the outer labia) are larger and thicker, while the ''labia minora'' are fol ...

. File:Glans tattoo.jpg,

Glans penis In male human anatomy, the glans penis, commonly referred to as the glans, is the bulbous structure at the distal end of the human penis that is the human male's most sensitive erogenous zone and their primary anatomical source of sexual p ...

File:Penis tattoo - Genital tattooed like a canvas.jpg,

Human penis The human penis is an external male intromittent organ that additionally serves as the urinary duct. The main parts are the root (radix); the body (corpus); and the epithelium of the penis including the shaft skin and the foreskin (prepuce) co ...

File:0001tattoo on the penis.jpg,

File:Tattoo in body.jpg,

Mons pubis In human anatomy, and in mammals in general, the ''mons pubis'' or pubic mound (also known simply as the mons, and known specifically in females as the ''mons Venus'' or ''mons veneris'') is a rounded mass of fatty tissue found over the pubic symp ...

File:Pubic tattoos.jpg,

File:Anus tattoo 1.jpg,

Anus The anus (Latin, 'ring' or 'circle') is an opening at the opposite end of an animal's digestive tract from the mouth. Its function is to control the expulsion of feces, the residual semi-solid waste that remains after food digestion, which, d ...

References

{{Tattoo Genital modification and mutilation Tattooing by body part

Occurrence

Motivation

Anatomical locations

See also

References