There's a reason some gang members cover their bodies in tattoos, and it makes perfect business ...

REUTERS/Ulises RodriguezAn imprisoned member of street gang Mara 18 poses for a photograph at the Izalco prison, about 40 miles from San Salvador, May 20, 2013.

Gangs like the Mara Salvatrucha have spread their influence all over the Western Hemisphere, and one of the clearest signs that you’re dealing with a member is the garish tattoos that often adorn their bodies.

The designs of those tattoos are often different, specified by the individual and their gang, but there’s an underlying reason for why they get them, and it makes perfect business sense.

“There’s a weird economic reason for these tattoos: It makes these employees much easier for the cartel or the gang to keep hold of,” Tom Wainwright, author of “Narconomics” and former Economist reporter in Mexico City told Business Insider.

“If you picture one of these gangs in El Salvador, where many of the members have tattoos, literally from head to toe, it’s much much harder for those employees to go and find a job somewhere else,” Wainwright added.

The Mara Salvatrucha, also known as MS-13, is most closely associated with the head-to-toe tattoos.

Prisons in El Salvador and Honduras, where MS-13 is based, are full of current and former gang members coated with ink identifying their loyalties, whether they be to MS-13 or another Central American gang like Barrio 18, which is regarded as one of MS-13’s main rivals.

REUTERS/Ulises RodriguezA member of the 18th Street gang poses for a photo at the prison of Izalco, about 40 miles from San Salvador, April 13, 2012.

While the inkings are often inscrutable to outsiders, members of the gang world are familiar with their meanings. This helps them identify compatriots and prevents members from straying. 

“These guys can’t find work anywhere else,” because the markings make it difficult for them to switch allegiances, Wainwright told Business Insider.

“They can’t find work with a rival cartel, and so they have to stay working for the gang that they started off with. This makes them much cheaper and it means that the gang can treat them how they like.”

REUTERS/Jose CabezasA policeman detains a suspected member of the MS-13 gang at a check point during the second day of a suspension of public-transport services in Apopa, El Salvador, July 28, 2015.

As these gangs have spread to places were anti-gang law-enforcement efforts are more robust — like the suburbs of Washington, DC — the tattoos have become a less central part of gang life.

Tattoo-removal programs have also cropped up, as government and civil-society efforts to pull people away from gangs have ramped up.

But for MS-13 and other gangs, where proof of loyalty is vital, tattoos aren’t going anywhere.

“It’s something that’s strongly encouraged,” Wainwright said. “And I think if you want to join a gang like the Mara Salvatrucha in El Salvador, you can’t join unless you get the tattoos.”

There"s a reason some gang members cover their bodies in tattoos, and it makes perfect business ...

This 22-Year-Old Artist Gave Out Free Tattoos For An Amazing Reason

Dealing with mental health struggles in our society often means facing stigma and judgment, unfortunately. But some of those struggles — like self-harm — are harder to hide than others. Which is why one tattoo artist has been helping people move forward by offering free tattoos to cover their scars.

The artist, Whitney Develle, 22, is based in Brisbane, Australia at Garage Ink Brisbane. She originally posted on her Instagram account on March 1, offering 50 free spots through the end of the year. But because those filled up so quickly, she’s now offering discounted cover-ups to others who are still interested.

Covering up scars has become a very specific talent for some artists. For instance, there are those who specialize in giving women cover-up tattoos for their mastectomy scars. But self-harm scars often come with an extra-intense emotional component — and stigma, long after you’ve stopped cutting. For those who have stopped, getting a tattoo to cover the scars is often a symbolic decision to fully move on from that part of their lives.

Develle told 9 News in Australia that she was inspired to start the free tattoo offer by a friend who had struggled with both self-harm and an eating disorder. “She told me how much pain it brought her when people would question her about [her scars] or make comments,” Develle said.“No one should ever have to feel like a public museum for people to ridicule.”

Many of the people who have written to her since she posted the offer have said they were “too scared to speak with a tattooist out of fear of being judged,” which made Develle’s impulse to help even stronger.

Not everyone wants to completely cover their scars, though. For those who’ve found some relief through the Butterfly Project — a technique in which you’re encouraged to draw a butterfly on your skin rather than cut — a butterfly tattoo seems only natural. Of course, in the end should you choose to be inked, whatever you get should reflect your mental health journey however you see it.

This 22-Year-Old Artist Gave Out Free Tattoos For An Amazing Reason