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So what are the tattoos all about?

Serena Williams displays her 'love' sign tattoo at the back of the neckIt seems like you can't be a footballer without tattoos these days. Every week, we see these amazing players showing off their newest pieces of ink and it's almost as if there is a competition to see the best tatoo.

Not too long ago, most  tattoos were associated with sailors, bikers and sideshow artists. But tattoos have become more popular in recent years and have become a part of the game, with players inked up across the world.

A tattoo is a puncture wound, made deep in your skin, that's filled with ink. It's made by penetrating your skin with a needle and injecting ink into the area, usually creating some sort of design. Wayne Rooney displays his tattoos on his arm

What makes tattoos so long-lasting is that they're so deep — the ink isn't injected into the epidermis (the top layer of skin that you continue to produce and shed throughout your lifetime). Instead, the ink is injected into the dermis, which is the second, deeper layer of skin. Dermis cells are very stable, so the tattoo is practically permanent.

Tattoos used to be done manually — that is, the tattoo artist would puncture the skin with a needle and inject the ink by hand. Though this process is still used in some parts of the world, most tattoo shops use a tattoo machine these days.

Getting a tattoo can take about 15 minutes to several hours, depending on the size and design chosen and one very important thing you have to keep in mind is that tattoo is also a wound. Like any other slice, scrape, puncture or cut to your skin, a tattoo can result in infections and diseases.

Complied by: Hadiza Nuhhu-Billa Quansah / Junior Graphic / Ghana

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