Leviticus 19-21

Lev 19:28  Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD. 

19:28 cuttings or print marks

Is that tattoos?

Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary:  "nor print any marks upon you — by tattooing, imprinting figures of flowers, leaves, stars, and other fanciful devices on various parts of their person. The impression was made sometimes by means of a hot iron, sometimes by ink or paint, as is done by the Arab females of the present day and the different castes of the Hindus. It is probable that a strong propensity to adopt such marks in honor of some idol gave occasion to the prohibition in this verse; and they were wisely forbidden, for they were signs of apostasy; and, when once made, they were insuperable obstacles to a return. (See allusions to the practice, Isa_44:5; Rev_13:17; Rev_14:1)."

There is nothing new under the sun...people have been 'tattooing' or 'branding' for quite some time.

Lev 21:5  They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in their flesh. 

Cuttings on flesh 21:5 is this same or different to print marks? Tattoo uses a needle, isn't this a form of cutting?

There seems to be an increase in the number of tattoos - people mutilating their bodies for 'art'.

I'm sometimes amazed at how many/much folks 'wear'.  Is all that ink really good for your body?  Is this some type of masochism?

Jamison, Fausset and Brown Commentary:  "They shall not make baldness upon their heads ... nor ... cuttings in their flesh — The superstitious marks of sorrow, as well as the violent excesses in which the heathen indulged at the death of their friends, were forbidden by a general law to the Hebrew people (Lev_19:28). But the priests were to be laid under a special injunction, not only that they might exhibit examples of piety in the moderation of their grief, but also by the restraint of their passions, be the better qualified to administer the consolations of religion to others, and show, by their faith in a blessed resurrection, the reasons for sorrowing not as those who have no hope."

So how much different do we, 'priests' of the Most High God look and act from those of the world?