Getting Botox and anti-aging treatments are passé. African women are setting a unique and rather bizarre trend of black tattooed gums. Popular in West Africa, this procedure became known worldwide when a video showing a woman getting a black tattoo on her gums surfaced online.

The procedure was followed ages ago by women as they believed that black gums were much more attractive than the natural pink ones. It looks like the trend got passed on over generations and some women in the region still swear by it. If you thought that Botox and surgery were painful, this procedure is sure to give you jitters.

Unlike other tattoos, this treatment is not done in salons but in the artist's home and doesn't come in some exotic design either. The color is made from burnt oil and shea butter and is pressed onto the gums in a thick layer. And then gums are repeatedly pricked to make the color stay.

The video that has been doing the rounds shows Marieme getting the tattoo. She keeps pushing away the tattoo artist as the procedure is extremely painful.

"It hurts. I would never recommend this torture to anyone," she said. "It really hurts. I thought I was going to die. But I tried to hang on." But her patience and tolerance really paid off as the end result seemed to really please her. "I don't regret it now as I have beautiful gums. It's necessary (sic) to be beautiful and attractive."

And it's not just women who undergo this pain. Men get it done too but for different reasons, reports odditycentral.com. It is also believed that this procedure is very effective when it comes to dental care as it leads to healthy gums.