You remember getting candy or fruit roll-ups as a child and being able to put on a temporary tongue tattoo with them? That was innocent fun, right? Well, we’ve discovered that real tongue tattoos are a thing and they’re pretty pointless. We’re not judging you if you have one, live your life, but there are some issues.
Tongue tattoos fade very fast. Not as fast as the candy ones, but generally, they’re completely gone in a couple of months. Also, these extreme tattoos can damage the tastebuds and are prone to infection. Depending on how you weigh risk and reward, these tattoos are probably not going to be for you. We took a deep dive into the world of inner mouth ink to find what these tats look like. Here are 25 real tongue tattoos that look like they really hurt!
Mushroom
Here, we find a rare example of a tongue tattoo with color ink in the form of a mushroom. We imagine this picture was taking right after it was completed because colors do not last long at all on this surface.
Black Spider
Here’s a blurry spider that’s already started to fade. Many tattoo artists refuse to do these tattoos because they’re gross to do and also they fade so fast it’s not even worth it.
Abstract
We’re pretty sure this person has a bifurcated (split) tongue and that they’ve chosen to tattoo each half. This is bad, but it gets even worse the further we journey. Brace yourself.
Questions
“#tbt to when I got my tongue tattooed,” the person who shared this image wrote. We best the tattoo that inspired this Throwback Thursday post has already faded away completely.
Save the Date
This comes from a tattoo artist who decided to tattoo a date on his tongue. We don’t know why someone would do this to themselves as these tattoos are generally very painful, but here we are.
Punisher
This person got a Punisher skull tattoo and they included some pretty telling hashtags including “#neveragain” and “#dontevenaskeme.” If those are how this person is tagging the picture they shared on Instagram, that should tell you all you need to know.
Smile
Of all the tongue tattoos we came across, and yes, we want you to feel pity for the people who researched this post, the little smiley face is one of the most common. Here, we find one hanging out below a tongue piercing. This tongue is a glutton for pain.
Many Questions
Here’s another image that was shared with a wonderful hashtag: “#pain.” We suppose the question then becomes, why?
RELATED: 25 Extreme Full Face Tattoos That Extend from Ear to Ear
Teddy
“Haha, got a tongue Tattoo today, what do you guys think? Cool?” Sure, why not? Of all the tats on this list, this one is one of the more palatable ones.
Lotus
In general, lotus flowers are exceedingly popular designs for tattoos. This is the only one we’ve ever witnessed on a tongue.
Eye of Horus
The Eye of Horus is an ancient Egyptian symbol for protection. We find it here in red, which is actually not that bad. However, red is not going to last and we’d be surprised if this was still visible after a week.
Broken Heart
“Gave a cutie her tongue tattoo that she’s been asking for, for a lil while,” the person who shared this image wrote. “Unfortunately, it’s already pretty faded after 2 days.”
Swirl
“Happy to say I was [the tattoo artist’s] first tongue tattoo client yesterday and I’m sooo stoked about the outcome!” the person with this symbol tattoo wrote. “The symbol is a mix between the angelic zibu symbol for patience and the yoga symbol for harmony. Yes I know it will fade and probably blot out in the next couple months but it was totally worth it.”
Angry Dude
We don’t know. We don’t want to know. Please respect our privacy at this time.
Tiny Dagger
Appropriate that this person has chosen a dagger for their tongue tattoo because their tongue has now been stabbed thousands of times by a tattoo gun. This is far from the worst on this list. We hope they’re happy!
Peace
“Thanks for making me do this you’re a maniac,” the tattoo artist who did this peace sign wrote to the person with it. Who would never us the word, maniac!
Cross
“First attempt at a tongue tattoo,” the artist wrote. “Waaaaaay harder than I first thought but it does look pretty cool.” Sure!
Dear reader, here’s where this list begins to get a little weirder. So, consider yourself warned.In just a few images you’re going to see thing that will make you question the nature of your reality. Buckle up!
Crosses
Here’s a tongue tattoo from Japan of two crosses in opposite directions. These have been applied very thickly which might help them last a touch longer.
Tongue Tied
“3 months healed,” the person with this faded tongue tattoo shared. See? The fade is not so pleasant. We truly don’t get it.
Okay…
We’ve never met an anarchist that we liked, but please surprise us! Here’s a tattoo of the anarchist symbol right on the tongue.
Lines
This person has gotten a fork tattooed on her tongue to make it look like a snake’s slithering one. People, live your best lives the best way that you know how to.
Hot Pepper
The person with this chili pepper tattoo wrote that it had already began to fade the same day he got it. He joked that he now tells people it’s a “ghost pepper.”
Scary stuff ahead! It’s really coming your way with this next image!
Dots
Here, we find a bifurcated tongue with dot tattoos not only all over the tongue but also on the gums. This person has tattooed their gums.
Pigmentation
This is a pigmentation job that I’m not even sure is totally legal in the US. This picture comes from Europe. The way this works is that pigment is injected directly into the tissue of the tongue and then allowed to spread. It’s similar to a sclera (eye) tattoo. We’re sorry!
RELATED: 25 Sclera Tattoos That Will Poke Your Eyes Out
Nope!
This is the same sort of thing as the above but made even worse by the stitching on this tongue and the green color. This person’s tongue looks like it’s about to fall off. Please call us an ambulance because we are now dead.
There you go! 25 tongue tattoos! This list devolved into a horror movie and we hope you enjoyed the right. Please, be kind to your tongue.
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