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TikTok users are embarking on a unique practice: creating tattoos from bites exchanged with their partner. This original trend, popularized by the hashtag #bitemarktattoo, divides Internet users between romanticism and perplexity. However, tattoo and health experts warn against this practice and its potential risks of infections.
Biting your partner’s arm… to give him a tattoo. Yes, you read correctly. This is the new crazy concept seen on TikTok. Americans, mainly, decide to leave a rather original indelible mark of their love on the body of their other half. In this case, fresh canine marks forming a circle which serve as “models” for a tattoo. A declaration of love 2.0. which panics the web since the hashtag #bitemarktattoo has 36 million views.
Among the most popular videos, that of the living room bettyzootattoo, viewed more than fifteen million times, which shows a young woman biting her partner’s arm. The latter then has the teeth marks left on his skin tattooed with ink. A concept seen as romantic for some, but seen as laughable for others. “I’m thinking of getting my man’s print tattooed on my back…” declares a user in the comments. While others simply don’t see the point of this tattoo: “Is it supposed to be romantic?” or “What if you broke up?”
This tattoo raises other questions, particularly related to hygiene. Because yes, bites leave saliva and we know that this can contain bacteria. Mary Minahan, a New York-based tattoo artist, warns of the potential risks of this trend. Requested by Business Insider, she recommends to those who would be tempted by this tattoo to be vigilant. “What happens if the person has an infection? You don’t know where this person’s mouth has been” said the tattoo artist, known as Miss Vampira on Instagram.
An observation shared by Dr. Adam Friedman, professor and chair of dermatology at George Washington University, who described this trend as “very dangerous.” “Human bites are known for their propensity to cause infections at the bite site and pose a potential risk for transmission of systemic infections“, adds the doctor.
So if you want a cute tattoo to immortalize your love together, other much more hygienic ideas might tempt you. A little romantic quote, the initials of your first name or even symbolic objects as a tattoo could catch your attention.
Slide: 85 tattoo ideas on the arm to prick