Wrist tattoos are quickly becoming one of the most popular ways to customize your body! From Hollywood A-listers like Victoria Beckham and Lindsay Lohan to ordinary people such as you and me!

Favorite designs for women include stars, fairies, flowers and rosaries. For men, favorite designs include flames, Celtic designs, stars and tribal tattoos. For women, favorites include stars, fairies, flowers and rosaries.

But the important thing to remember about wrist tattoos is that they are permanent and you need to be sure of what you’re doing before you get one! Here are 3 things you need to think about.

Firstly, think about the pain! Common wisdom should make you realize that the wrist is quite a painful place to get a tattoo. If you’re not at all good with pain, or even just if it’s your first tattoo, perhaps consider somewhere on your body that has a bit more flesh to soften the impact of the tattoo needle.

Tattoos on areas where the skin is thinner will take longer to heal. They may also need to be “refreshed” more often to keep the design clear.

Secondly, wrist tattoos were historically associated with the lesbian and gay lifestyles – particularly designs involving stars. These days that association has mostly disappeared but before you get a permanent tattoo, you should consider finding out more about the history of your design.

Thirdly, and most importantly, make sure you are sure! This might sound obvious but a lot of people don’t think about it. Having a tattoo on your wrist is a very visible place to have such a permanent mark. If you have a tattoo on your shoulder or back, it’s quite easy to hide. But on your wrist it’s almost impossible to hide it completely.

Although you will be pleased with the tattoo, what about the opinions of others? What about your boss? Does your workplace have rules about visible body markings or piercings? What about your parents?! What about possible future employers! Will they look at you negatively if they see you have a tattoo? What about in 30 years time?

You can see from above that there are some points to consider carefully before you get a wrist tattoo. This doesn’t mean you definitely shouldn’t get one, however. Wrist tattoos are a great way to show people your individual style and make your body more individual.

Above all, just make sure you know what you’re getting yourself in for!