Bite-mark tattoos are having a moment. A dermatologist warns that they could be dangerous.
A viral video of a woman biting her boyfriend's arm before he had the mark tattooed on him in permanent black ink has sparked debate on TikTok, where it has close to 14 million views.
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- A video of a man getting his girlfriend's bite mark tattooed onto his arm has left TikTok divided.
- The customer, Oliver Thage, appeared to get the tattoo right after his girlfriend bit his arm.
- Thage wasn't concerned about it, but a dermatologist said they wouldn't recommend the practice.
Ever wondered what it would be like to make a love bite permanent?
If you have, you're not the only one. A quick peruse on social media and you'll quickly see that bite-mark tattoos are having a moment.
The hashtag #bitemarktattoo has over 34.7 million views on TikTok, as of Thursday.
One of the most popular videos on the platform — posted by the Danish tattoo parlor Betty Zoo Tattoo on November 22 — shows a woman biting a man's arm before he has the marks left by her teeth tattooed in black ink.
@bettyzootattoo Bite Mark tattoo #fyp #bf #tattoo #bitemarktattoo #foryou #trending #onthisday #fypviralシ
♬ My Love Mine All Mine - Mitski
In the comment section of the clip, which has over 13.8 million views at the time of writing, some users said they love the tattoo, while others raised health concerns about the method.
"I feel like couple's tattoos have so many cute ideas but y'all getting bite marks why," one user wrote.
"Ringworm core," another wrote, suggesting that the style of tattoo could be unhygienic.
However, a Betty Zoo Tattoo representative told Business Insider that the tattoo — which cost roughly 800 Danish kroner, or around $118 — was "harmless."
They added that the client's skin was "perfectly cleaned before" and after the tattooing, in line with their standard business practice "to make sure no infections will occur in the healing process."
"All our artists have taken a hygiene course before having the right to tattoo in the studio, so they know all the safety standards," the representative added, adding that the studio values safety highly.
Courtesy of Betty Zoo
Oliver Thage, the client who had the bite-mark tattoo featured in the video, told Business Insider he got the ink for "the fun of it" after seeing the style on social media. He said he didn't have any personal concerns about it from a health perspective.
"I didn't really think that deep that there should be any concerns because she's not biting into my skin, it's just to get a little marker," Thage, 22, said. He added that his girlfriend didn't bite him hard enough to leave a full dental outline, so the tattoo artist free-styled some parts.
Courtesy of Oliver Thage
The video has raised questions about the safety of bite-mark tattoos
New York City-based tattoo artist Mary Minahan, who has worked in the industry for 13 years, told BI she thinks people should be cautious about the bite-mark trend.
"What if that person has an infection or there's so much bacteria in the mouth? You don't know where that person's mouth has been," the tattoo artist, who goes by Miss Vampira on Instagram, said.
Minahan's concerns were echoed by Dr. Adam Friedman, professor and chair of dermatology at George Washington University, who told BI he thinks it's "a very dangerous trend."
"Human bites are notorious for their propensity in causing infections at the site of the bite injury as well as posing a potential risk for transmission of systemic infections," Friedman said.
In Thage's case, the Betty Zoo representative said the part of his arm that was tattooed was cleaned both before and after he was inked.
But Friedman said that while disinfecting the area of skin that was bitten before tattooing could "theoretically" prevent infection, it won't completely rule out chances of one developing.
"The bite itself is the issue as you are pushing oral bacteria and whatever else through the skin barrier," Friedman said.
Courtesy of Mary Minahan
According to Friedman, human saliva is known to contain as many as 50 species of bacteria, which is why human bites are believed to cause higher rates of infection than other types of injuries. Risks include the potential for infections caused by bacteria, he added.
Friedman also said that there have been reports that human bites can lead to the transfer of viruses like hepatitis, herpes virus, tetanus, and syphilis.
Besides infection, Friedman said tattooing over a bite could influence the appearance of the ink "at minimum" but could also "result in an inappropriate immune response, forgetting even the potential for scarring."
There are safer ways to get a bite-mark tattoo
For those keen to jump on the trend, Minahan recommends alternative methods like having a tattoo artist work from a photograph of a bite.
Besides minimizing health risks, Minahan said the tattoo would look better if copied from a photograph.
"It would honestly come out as a better tattoo than going over some dips inside of somebody's skin," she said.
As for Thage, he said he understands the concerns about the method used for bite-mark tattoos but said that his is healing normally.
"Some people are taking it more seriously than maybe it should be," he said.
And while he's happy with his new ink, Thage said he plans to return to Betty Zoo Tattoo for a touch-up.
"I think the teeth are a bit too small," he said.