I am looking at getting two tattoo's, that will represent my late grand mother and father, and want to add the ashes from the cremation to the ink. Is there any side effects? If there are what are the side effects?

At first glance this idea seemed sort of creepy, but then I figgered why not, not as creepy as ingesting ashes which some folks do. There is also scarification, sometimes called 'tatoo,' in which ashes and other material is rubbed into shallow cuts in the skin leaving a colored and raised area. Usually associated with so-called 'primitive' societies, and the ashes of the dead were often used, especially admired or respected ones. The tattooee hoped to gain attributes of the ash donor. That was the point of some cannbalism as well, so you can see why some would equate various ways of adding remains of the dead into ones body, so may be some religious restrictions, so you'd best check on that, if you have some specific religious leaning. There may be some legal restrictions too, there are some strange laws about what can be done with remains,some localities will not even allow ashes to be used in pottery or masonry, others will, so check on that. The tatooist *should* know about any specific regulations concerning 'foreign' or unusual materials. The ashes would be treated as any other solid pigment, ground ultra fine, then mixed with a carrier or solvent, filtered and added to 'ink'. You wouldn't use much to begin with and after treatment there would be even less actual ash. The treatment would basically sterilize them, especially the solvent, but you could boil a bit in alcohol. There shouldn't be any pieces large enough to cause circulation problems , they pro'lly would'nt pass thru the needle. But you mite wanta check with medical authority. So check with God, law, Doc, and artist.

I highly doubt that any serious tattoo artist would consent to that, but as notmrjohn said, ask around and see what the legality and safety of it is.

I've never heard of that, but that is a bad-ass idea!!! Rock on!!!