A Bournemouth tattoo artist has said it is not uncommon for elderly people to have tattoos to help them remember their loved ones.
Dragos Dinu, tattoo artist at Bournemouth Ink, said: “It is unusual to have a tattoo at a late age, but occasionally it has happened because people think that a tattoo may help them remember people dear to of them.”
Mr Dinu’s comments come after the news that a Dorset women had become the oldest women in the UK to get a tattoo.
Winifred Turner, 92, of West Moors, now has three tattoos on her hands one to remember her spouse Jim, and the other two to celebrate the birth of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Mr Dinu said: “There is no certain age to have a tattoo because people can eventually decide whether to have it or not. So, we see young as well as older people having different tattoos.
“But according to my experience, the usual age for people to come to Bournemouth Ink in order to get tattoos is 50s at a maximum.”
Asked about Winifred Turner, Mr Dinu said: “Cases such as Mrs Turner, are unusual because usually old people try to avoid tattoos. But in general, by having tattoos, people attempt to be different than others and occasionally help them gain personal meanings which can then link to precious things in their lives.’’
Main image credit: Bournemouth Ink.
