It is discrete, but the design on the inside of your lip is appealing because it’s temporary. These types of tattoos don’t last nearly as long as ink on other areas of your skin. After saying that, getting an inner lip tattoo can be somewhat risky, but maybe that’s one of the reasons why people want to get it done. 
This is why it’s a good idea to take a moment and weigh the positive and negative sides. You need to be aware and careful about a few things before you book an appointment with your favorite tattoo artist if getting a tattoo in this particular area is something that interests you.
The first time the inside-the-lip tattoo gained popularity was in the early 2010s when Miley Cyrus and Kesha made them cool. Cyrus chose a sad cat emoji stamped on her inner lip while Kesha decided to get the words “Suck It!” Kendall Jenner is another celebrity who also got a mouth tattoo back in 2016 of the word “cat.”
Do Inner Lip Tattoos Hurt?
First of all, tattooing your lips can be painful. Most humans can’t even stand the pain of a lip bite. Now, take a moment and imagine a tattoo needle puncturing your lips 1000 times per minute.
Since these tattoos are inked in the inner side of the lip, this increases the chances of getting infected if they are not done properly. Moreover, you have to avoid certain food types to avoid getting your new lip tattoo infected.
Can you Tattoo Your Lips?
Another reason for you to think before getting a lip tattoo is that people will judge you a lot after it. If you are single, then getting a lip tattoo is something to avoid. This is because you will meet new people in your life, and they might not approve of your lip tattoo. I’m joking. Nobody has that right to approve or disapprove of your new or old tattoos, but we live in a very “sensitive” world. That means that these days everybody has the “right” to say anything about anybody. Your tattoo choice is entirely your decision, and you don’t have to care about people’s feelings regarding the placement of your tattoo design, and that’s it.
Also, there are some cases when a person with an infected inner lip tattoo spreads the infection to their partner, but that’s extremely rare. There are many pros and cons before making the final decision and going in for a lip tattoo.
Most often, statistically, lip tattoos are the first choice for women. However, if you are a man and want to try a lip tattoo, there’s nothing stopping you to get it done.
What is the Meaning of Inner Lip Tattoos?
The majority of lip tattoos have one common or ordinary meaning, and that is a rebellious attitude. This is because a person chooses a lip tattoo despite so many risks involved. After all, they want to show that they are not scared of anything. However, if you choose a design that will give your tattoo a unique and even better meaning, here are some of the most popular symbolism and meanings:
Pain – since these tattoos are painful, it is natural that they will represent pain. It will illustrate that the wearer has risen above all the pains in life.
However, today various types of dental anesthetics can be used during the process. They can help and make this whole tattoo process more bearable.
Beauty – no one can deny the fact that tattoos on lips can look extremely attractive and sexy. Many celebrities chose lip tattoos to make their movie roles even more appealing. You can try these tattoos if you want to stand out from the crowd.
Intimacy – inner lip tattoo designs can be very intimate as well. One can have tattoos on lips just for the eyes of their partner.
How Long do Lip Tattoos take to Heal?
Like any other tattoo, the healing period of inner lip tattoos depends on how you take care of them. If you take all the preventions and proper care of your lip tattoo as advised, it will probably heal within 4 to 5 weeks. This is “by the book.” In my experience, 7 to 10 days is a reasonable amount of time for the healing process to end.
Side Effects of Lip Tattoos
As previously said, tattoos on inner lips can be infectious (like any other tattoo). You must be aware of all the side effects that a lip tattoo can cause. These are only a few :
Swelling – in most cases, all tattoos swell, but lips are soft compared to chest and back. This is why a lip tattoo can give extreme swelling and make your whole face look ugly.
Peeling and Scabbing – once again, all tattoos peel and scab, but you must know that scabbing lip tattoos can be painful. Those few days after the tattooing is done will be a little bit sore. This is the time when avoiding certain types of food is recommendable.
After you take all of these side effects into consideration, then you can go ahead and get your lip tattooed.
Getting your inner lip tattooed is entirely up to you. If you want them tattooed, then you should find the perfect design for that. Another thing that you’ll need to take care of is finding a good tattoo artist for the job. This is a quite complex piece of skin to work on. Very soft, uneven skin that is prone to bleeding. My advice is: Be careful and keep it simple. Lesser detail will result in a better outcome.
