Brave Souls Who Embraced The Wildest Face Tattoos Imaginable
For decades, parents warned their children away from getting tattoos for a variety of cultural reasons. Although people have long been cautioned to get something they will still want on their skin years down the line, others were told horror stories that they'd never be accepted in a professional environment if they had any tattoos.
Although such hand-wringing is mostly considered laughably outdated nowadays, there are still ways in which those old prejudices can be relevant in the tattoo scene. Face tattoos are still considered a risky social prospect at the best of times. And some of these designs are even riskier.
A great design with a bizarre subject
Due to their many legs, their speed, and their creepy-crawly demeanor, it's hard for many people not to get uncomfortable when they encounter a centipede. But one man apparently likes the insect so much that he actually got one tattooed on the side of his face.
In all honesty, it's not a bad tattoo. The line work and shading look clean, which gives the centipede a detailed, defined, and realistic design. But he's putting a lot of faith in the nerves of his friends not to shudder when they see such a large bug.
If nothing else, she picked a good subject
One of the biggest things people use to caution others away from getting tattoos are their permanence. That's a major deterrent against getting face tattoos in general but its especially powerful when the subject is a pop cultural figure who could be forgotten by the next year.
However, it seems that one Drake superfan hasn't had to worry about that in the years since she's received this tattoo. She got it years ago, but Drake's longevity as an artist has been such that he's possibly even more relevant now than whenever she got this. In a way, it's a lucky break.
A blast from the past
Sometimes, a band's iconography is so creative and meaningful that it stands out even among non-fans. The idea of a heart hanging from a tree by a rope can convey such an emotionally raw image on its own that the uninitiated might think this is an imaginative (if troubled) person.
And while they may very well be, that works well in their favor either way. After all, not everybody remembers the early to mid-2000s when The Used made their big commercial push into the world of loud, emotional alternative rock. This was the cover of their most well-known album at the time.
One face tells the world so much
While some people can be said to wear their hearts on their sleeves, this man seems to go even further and shares his most central thoughts on his face. After all, there's a lot that can be learned from his tattoos without ever meeting him.
Either he was born in September, or that month has a lot of significance to him for another reason. He also feels nostalgic often, and he has some interest in the occult, or at least in Hasbro. That's because the "goodbye" tattoo on his left cheek features a planchette that a spirit is supposed to move to communicate via Ouija board.
Let's take his word for it
It's not often that such an "in-your-face" tattoo is so open to interpretation, but this elaborate face tattoo does inspire some curiosity. On one hand, it's not exactly hard to figure out that this man considers himself to be the baddest of hombres. However, that "most high" is a little more mysterious.
That tends to be a slang reference to God, but is he merely giving respect to God in an unconventional way or putting himself in that position? And is that large black bar suggesting that being a bad hombre is clearly separating him from God's light? Or does he mean "most high" literally, rendering all of this speculation pointless?
The important thing is that both sides match
Although this person's tattoos just reach the outskirts of their face, they're enough of a presence on the face to count as a face tattoo. And they're a pretty colorful and vibrant example of a good one, or arguably a good series of tattoos.
The colorful flowers go well together, and they're symmetrical enough that the only way to tell that they're on different sides of the person's face is by their piercings. It's also an interesting idea to make the stems of the flowers come from their ears.
It's like a collage of edginess
If nothing else, this array of face tattoos is a credit to the artist's skill. Based on how they're laid out, it's easy to imagine this fellow breathlessly asking the tattoo artist to make the side of his face look like a skull while also incorporating spider webs and a Jason mask.
And it probably wasn't easy, but they did it. The skull's jaw bleeds into his real face surprisingly well, and they were able to fit Jason Voorhees and the webs in there recognizably. Until now, one could be forgiven for thinking those couldn't all fit on just one face.
As risky as it gets
As risky as the general decision to get a tattoo of someone's face across the the whole head like this is, it's the specific face at play that's the real gamble. After all, it's not like there isn't something to like about this tattoo.
The detail is sophisticated enough that the likeness is clear to someone with even a passing interest in mixed martial arts. And the way the real person's ear connects to the subject's is pretty brilliant. But anyone who turns themselves into a walking billboard for someone as infamously volatile as Conor McGregor is just asking for trouble.
There's no way he can ward off the regret forever
Unfortunately for this guy, this face tattoo seems like the exact thing that an edgy teenager would convince themselves is the coolest thing they've ever seen. However, the window of time before this goes from totally awesome to completely embarrassing is a sadly small one.
Even if he feels the same way about the church as he did here, it won't be long before he experiences the disadvantages of going around with a burning one on his face, and there are many. And the giant Grim Reaper with the dagger is only going to add to them.
A skillful take on a creative idea
Seeming at once modern and retro, this man has a design that exists somewhere between candy stripes and tiger stripes tattooed on his ear. And if that wasn't ambitious enough of an idea on its own, he decided to have it appear as a "splat" over his ear.
It's unclear what led him to pursue this design and what led him to choose this unusual place for it, but it's definitely an inspired look. And he found an artist with the right eye for color and dexterity to bring it to life!
Incredible and horrifying all at once
Although this tattoo is graphic and, thus, incredibly risky to wear on someone's face, it's hard to deny that some real talent and vision went into it. After all, even someone who wants to make themselves look like a zombie doesn't picture the rotting flesh of the undead attracting flies.
That's a clever detail to remember, and the design that has her skin appear to hang by a thread is eerily realistic. That said, it's also hard not to feel sad at the idea of her embodying something so grotesque. Is this how she feels on the inside?
Let's hope they don't mind explaining this
For those who aren't sure what they're looking at right now, this tattoo draws on aesthetics that are commonly seen within the furry fandom. To simplify a surprisingly massive overarching community, furries identify with a unique character, which is always an anthropomorphic animal. That character is called a "fursona."
Based on the aesthetics at play and the commitment to tattooing the creature on their head, it seems safe to assume that this purple creature that seems half-dragon and half-wolf is this person's fursona. And while purple fur is hardly an uncommon sight among furries, the long tongue, zombie-like dimples, and serpentine body are more unique quirks.
The customer is always right
It's a little hard to tell what this person was going for. While the concept of a third eye seeing beyond the physical realm is centuries-old at this point, that doesn't make it any easier to determine what the lines on the side of his face are supposed to represent.
The best possible guess for how jagged they are is that the customer wanted to make it look like they had been attacked by a werewolf or some other monster with big claws. The lines seem a little crude but it appears they did the job if this person is happy about them.
The best tattoo is the most important
As shown here, this young man had already got himself a couple of eye-catching tattoos before he added this one. But while the shark has a few flaws, the tattoo gun was significantly better-executed and the rosary looks realistic enough to fool the eye.
This not only creates the meta effect of the rosary weaving into the seemingly working tattoo gun, but it indicates the priority of these tattoos. While the shark and the tattoo gun were fun dalliances, the stark, detailed rosary suggests he's serious about his faith.
That's one way to do it
Considering how they're helpful and surprisingly friendly creatures who also work well with a lot of dark aesthetics, it's not such a surprise that so many people would want to get a spider tattoo. However, even those who want that image on their face usually go about it in a different way.
Apparently not content with just limiting the spider's likeness to his cheek, this man wanted one splayed all across his face. Not only does it take some real imagination to replace one's nose with a spider's butt, but it must have taken some serious toughness to actually get it done.
At least the artist did a good job
Considering how seriously some people take the display of his image, there's something brave about opening oneself to all the harassment that's likely to come from getting a devil tattoo on the face. Even if this isn't supposed to be Satan himself, it would certainly be enough to set some folks off.
That skull design lurking underneath it on his neck pairs well with his macabre body art, too. That said, there is something funny about the idea of an otherworldly demon having a normal human ear. One can only commit so far.
The inspiration may not be clear, but the talent at work is
This rat design looks like it came straight out of a professional and serious graphic novel, but it still has enough color in its design to make it bright and visually pleasing. And while there are certainly some who appreciate how misunderstood rats are, there seems to be more to the tattoo than that.
It might help to know what kind of berry plant it appears next to, but the meaning of that scepter it's holding seems particularly important to understand this one. Is this just a collection of things the client thought was cool, or is this rat a specific character?
That ear's getting pretty crowded
There's a lot to unpack about this person's tattoo when someone is first meeting them, but the idea is pretty cool, and the execution is as good as anyone can make it in such a small space. Not only that, but the ear actually makes sense here.
Here is a conflicted person who often feels like they have an angel and a demon whispering in their ear. Of course, it's hard not to wonder which of them inspired this tattoo.
Well, sure, with that attitude
With this fancy design, it can be a little hard to tell what it says on this woman's head at first. But when the knowledge that it says "damned" seems both sad and appropriate in certain circumstances.
It's obviously sad to see someone so young already see no reason to believe that her life will get better. But considering how a lot of people look down on face tattoos, it's hard not to consider that self-label a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Neither of those eyes looks happy
Face tattoos are a risky and adventurous prospect in general, but that's especially true when that tattoo is running across a person's forehead. And even if that weren't where he put it, this one would be pretty attention-grabbing.
The iconic image of the bald eagle suggests that this man is proud to be an American, but its angered expression indicates that this doesn't mean he's actually happy about his life here. Sadly, that's just as evident from his real eyes.
No wonder he's tired; he had to sit for this one for a while
Although this detailed, hexagonal design is certainly impressive, it's a little hard to tell what this man was going for here. Since the other eye doesn't seem to match it, it appears that he had a specific aesthetic in mind when he sat for this.
The big question here seems to be whether he wanted to appear snake-like or give people the impression that he's a cyborg. Another possibility is Kano from Mortal Kombat, but his eyepiece is typically closer to a silver color. Since there are black snakes, that option seems the most likely.
This answers some questions and raises some others
Some tattoos are very efficient ways to figure out what somebody is all about, while others require a little more explanation. In an interesting twist, this young man appears to have both kinds on his face. On one hand, it's clear that he's serious about being vegan.
Moreover, he seems to like various insects and hardcore music but is no fan of alcohol or any narcotics. However, unless he's a big fan of the military nerve chemical VX, it's hard to tell why that's there. And it's even harder to tell what "TPAHB" stands for.
That must have been exhausting
This guy's looking pretty sleepy, and even though it seems like he got his tattoo a while ago, he must have had a similar expression when it was all over. After all, one can only imagine how long it takes to put an entire checkerboard on somebody's face.
Although a look down below his face makes it clear that this is hardly his first tattoo, it's still hard to tell what led him toward such an ambitious project. Does he like board games that much?
There's some clear inspiration here
Although one of this man's tattoos looks pretty familiar, the other one that's visible on his head is a more unique and creative idea. Based on the sharpness of its design and the similarity of its pattern, it seems like a pretty safe bet that this guy wanted the same face tattoo as Mike Tyson.
However, that wasn't the only design he had visualized on his face. While it's hardly unusual for someone to get a spider web tattoo, it's a lot more unorthodox to get it inside of an ear. He definitely gets points for creativity.
Nobody has to ask this guy which team he likes
Even those with the most tenuous understandings of football would have no problem figuring out that this man is a fan of the Oakland Raiders. And he's so committed to that fandom that he got as many tattoos about it as his face could fit.
Despite how much of his canvas is devoted to the Raiders, it seems he had room for a couple of other ideas. In addition to reminding everyone that looks are deceiving, he also had the admittedly slick idea of tattooing a goatee onto his face. He found a look that works and he's sticking with it in the most extreme way possible.
There's nothing more he can do
Judging by his most prominent tattoo, this is Teddy Boy, and there's seemingly a pretty short list of things that won't be inked on his face. In addition to the classic spider webs, he's got a whole menagerie on there between the panther and the birds.
And while the ladies and the "rock n roll" mustache also stand out, the pièce de résistance is definitely the barber pole running down the length of his nose. He also helpfully had "barber" written under it in case anyone got confused.
That's putting it pretty definitely
Without knowing this man, it's hard to tell what about his life's behaviors have led him to feel so strongly about this self-image that he got the word "stupid" tattooed on his forehead. Apparently, he's not leaving any room for argument here.
Of course, the decision to get this tattooed on one's face is admittedly compelling evidence. Let's also not pretend that there are so many people in this world who mentally substitute every face tattoo they see for this one. For them, the most likely reaction to this would be, "That seems about right."
A lovely concept executed beautifully
When somebody gets a large tattoo in such a prominent place, they're putting a great deal of faith in their tattoo artist's abilities. And in this woman's case, it seems that this faith was pretty well-founded. And it's refreshing in other ways, too.
Most people who get a face tattoo know they're taking a risk by doing so. So it's common to see face tattoos with an air of danger or another brand of edginess. But this time, the face is just a nice canvas for a pretty bird eating a berry.
It's just a little something to make her happy
Although face tattoos usually have to be pretty ostentatious or off-beat to get people talking about them, those viral curiosities are likely pretty far from the average tattoos that most people get. While the face isn't the most common place for one, the most common tattoos tend to be pretty small, no matter where they are.
And for this woman, that simpler vision made the most sense for her. She only wanted a little rainbow on the side of her face and finally went for it. Honestly, somebody would have to be pretty uptight to give her any trouble about that.
It looks cool, but what does it mean?
Reddit user shewolfdk revealed his new tattoo to the platform's body mods community and one of the first questions he received concerned its meaning. Since he had what appeared to be some letters in a bladed style and what seemed like a pair of scissors, they were a little mysterious.
In response, he said that his tattoos don't really have deep meanings. The letters were simply his initials, and those clamps (not scissors) were a reference to his work as a body-piercing apprentice.
Simple but effective
Although nobody knows what this tattoo will look like once this woman's hair grows back, it doesn't seem likely that her hair would have too severe an effect on a straightforward flower tattoo. And while it's completely unfettered, it looks nice.
It's a simple black-and-white design, but the line work is sharp enough, and the artist paid attention to the details that make this a credible-looking flower. It would still be recognizable with fewer, but they add to the design for sure.
It would have been funny as a foot tattoo
It's not often that somebody gets a shoe tattooed on themselves in general, but it seems like an especially unusual image to put on one's face. Granted, it's a little surprising that it's not more common, considering how obsessive some sneaker collectors can be.
However, the likely reason for this tattoo has less to do with the shoe itself than the culture around it. According to The Miami Herald, the Nike Cortez is practically part of the uniform in certain street gangs, most notably MS-13. In some areas, there's a strictly enforced rule that holds they're only supposed to be worn by gang members.
Well, there's no mystery as to what's on his mind
Although this photo shows that this man seems to have tattoos all over his body, the ones on his face are the easiest to decipher. He seems to have some flames near his chin to boost his coolness, but the ones over his upper lip are much clearer.
The message probably could have come across with just a few dollar signs, but it's clear he wanted to emphasize the point as far as it would go. His love of money is almost literally written all over his face.
He's definitely playing into the aesthetic
Some people who get a lot of tattoos will find themselves becoming interested in other body modifications, and that definitely seems to be the case for this fellow. From the looks of it, he's using both his tattoos and his tongue modifications to achieve a specific aesthetic.
Obviously, the forked tongue combined with the spider webs and skull designs on his face makes him appear macabre and hardcore. Indeed, there are at least five skulls here, but they may not be the only ones.
Who's brave enough to call him a clown?
Considering how few lines the tattoo artist used to complete the symbolism here, it's a credit to their talents that the meaning of their design is so clear. The hooded spikes on each end of his eyes and the large lip design around his mouth indicate that he wanted to incorporate clown aesthetics into his look.
Specifically, the bottom spikes indicate the tears of the classic "sad clown" variant, which suggests that his outward bravado conceals a sad, vulnerable person underneath it all. That said, he looks pretty tough, so it's probably not wise to consider that bravado fake, exactly.
They must have been excited to find each other
Even by the fearless standards of face tattoos, these two guys have taken the risky concept to major extremes. Although there's a fascinating geometry to the designs on the man at right's face, it's a little unclear as to whether there's any meaning to them beyond him thinking they look cool.
As for the guy on the left, the fact that he transformed nearly his entire face into a mass of blue with a green patch shows his level of commitment. Honestly, the eyelid piecing would show that enough, considering how inconvenient that's likely to be before long. However, it's still hard to tell why he left two small patches untouched.
Hello there!
For the most part, a customer who goes to a hair salon can see what their haircut looks like from the back because the stylist shows them with a little mirror. This tattoo makes it hard not to wonder whether tattoo parlors do the same thing.
Because while it would be understandable if this person simply doesn't know how the screaming face on the back of their head looks. But if they were shown it and felt that it matched what they wanted, that only makes it harder not to wonder what led them to pursue this design in the first place.
These are pretty personal
Oftentimes, people see bold or edgy face tattoos as a result of the global telephone game that is viral attention. As such, they typically find themselves having to speculate about the intentions behind the designs involved. Not this time, however.
That's because Reddit user linkinbio2318 was asked about his face tattoos and shared that the small broken heart was inspired by fallen rapper Lil Peep, who said that his own face tattoos were his motivation to pursue music. Beyond that, he enjoys the bold statements they make, and they're reminders to live life the way he wants to while he can.
She might want more
While the leafy tattoo at this woman's brow shows she has an affinity for plants, it seems that her other face tattoos are a little more abstract. It may be hard to distinguish those dots on her cheeks from her facial piercings but they are tattoos.
Those dots don't have any specific meaning but a commenter complimented her on how well they match with her nostrils. Not only is she happy with her dots as well, but she's suggestinng she might add more.
It's a small tattoo but a meaningful one
Reddit user 4L4YN3 shared her first face tattoo, which she has reported feeling happy about having on the side of her face. It's small and hard to notice for those who aren't paying attention but waiting to be appreciated by those who are.
As for what it means, it's a logo developed by singer-songwriter Ethel Cain, who has a similar tattoo on her hand. Since Cain's work deals with a lot of religious themes (particularly to express her religious trauma), she imagined a female symbol with seven spikes, which represent the seven-headed beast in the Book of Revelations.
