Stick and poke, or hand-poked, tattoos have been around for a while, but they're only becoming popular in recent years. Unlike the usual way of drawing tattoos on the skin, which makes use of an electric device, the hand-poke method only requires a sharp tool, such as a sewing needle. Other tattoo artists fashion their own, such as bamboo sticks with needles on the tip, according to The Guardian.
The designs are usually freestyle patterns, and the details are different from tattoos that have been done with a tattoo gun, but expectedly, there is a huge amount of pain with getting a stick and poke. "There's something about the pain involved in the transition which people like. It's quite cathartic." However, electric tattooing can still be a deeply intimate process - "there's still someone pushing the needle" - but the instrument is in itself very "manual," Adam Sage told The Guardian. He has mastered the non-electric technique for over a decade.
Healing from a stick and poke tattoo is faster with minimal peeling, but the tattoo can swell a lot and may even sting or burn, according to Bustle.
Some celebrities travel far to get a stick and poke tattoo, like Rihanna, who got a tribal design for her hands in New Zealand, according to the Daily Mail. However, experts say that the growing popularity of the method may have some alarming drawbacks, as it can trigger the spread of diseases.
"You can get a bacterial infection. You can also get a more serious blood-borne infection like Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C. HIV is also a concern because it's a blood-borne illness," said Dr. Herveen Sachdeva via Global News.
Millennials apparently stick themselves with needles to do their own hand-poked tattoos. "I don't think people plan out in advance that they're going to get a homemade tattoo in a basement," said Mike McLaine of Precision Laser Tattoo Removal in the report.
Hand-poked and DIY tattoos are discouraged in some states in Australia because unregulated tools are used, according to Better Health. There's also a risk in using the wrong type of ink, and a greater risk for someone with pre-existing conditions. "The risk is particularly high for those with pre-existing heart or circulatory disease, diabetes or compromised immune systems," said Dr. Linda Katz via the FDA.
As with a professional tattoo, this method must be done with the properly sterilized tools, correct ink and by the right person, or you could end up with a bad tattoo.
