A Body Art Guide for Parents of Teens Who Want Piercings and Tattoos

I'm a 27-year old mother of a beautiful little girl. I have a bachelor's degree in graphic and multimedia design, have taught on a professional level, and have been writing since … well, I was first published at age 11. Many people who know these things about me are shocked to then discover that I love body art; right down to my pierced tongue, nipples, 6 holes in my ears and my first tattoo (it won't be the last), there is nothing about body art which fails to fascinate me.

So, perhaps, I can represent a more-mature voice in the quest many teens go through in order to have their bodies made different … honestly, that's what body art and body "modification" usually comes down to. Far from being a pathological problem, studies show that young people indulge in body art for the same reasons that adults dye their hair or tout daring fashion styles: to differentiate themselves from the crowd.

Being the parent of a teen who wants to get body art can be like walking a mine field. It is perfectly normal to feel like you've been left out of the decision-making process, and completely at odds with your own child.

Doesn't That Hurt?

Tattoos and body piercing are far more mainstream than many parents (or the average adult) realize. The thought that your kid wants to shove a huge needle through their tongue or bellybutton might be shocking… but there are more extreme forms of body modification out there. For instance, branding (yup - the same thing that cowboys do to livestock), scarification (a form of "tattoo" that is made from cuts to the skin), and stretched earlobes are far from uncommon.

Texas Tech University School of Nursing performed a study of more than 2100 adolescents in schools from eight different states. Professor Myrna Armstrong found that 1 in 10 of these students had a tattoo, and that more than half were interested in getting one. This interest spanned all income levels and ethnic groups. The one rather eye-opening fact was that most of the students interested in body art were A and B students.

Body art is so mainstream, in fact, that tattooing was United State's sixth-fastest-growing retail business in 1996, right behind Internet services and computer shops.

A parent that wants to prevent (or at least educate) their teenager from getting body art done, though, should not start with the "pain" statement. The amount of pain involved in getting anything pierced or tattooed does vary by the person experiencing it, but in general biting your tongue hurts more than piercing it does, and most tattoos feel like hair electrolysis.

Body Art and Health Concerns

Body art and its inherent health concerns is one area in which I passionately feel that no one can remain clueless. A kickback from our Puritanical roots, perhaps, but our society is still one that has a big problem discussing things about the body, be it sexual or "fashionable".

Belly-button piercings will take about 12 months to heal, and will hurt for much of that time. They are also seriously prone to infection, because of the area they're located in, and become irritated by waistbands quickly. Tongue piercings, on the other hand, will usually heal in about half that time. During the first few days to the first few weeks (depending on the person), the pain can be tremendous. The tongue will swell enormously; when my tongue was pierced, I couldn't close my mouth without biting each side of my tongue. Every morning that I woke up, I had "tracks" down it.

These are the little things which nearly every person (just ask, your child is probably no different) accepts going into it. Each of those facets are part of the experience, which makes the person going through the experience feel more attached to the body art and it gives a serious sense of pride. Like - Hey, look, I went through this.

The bigger concerns are things like hepatitis B, HIV, and tetanus, not to mention skin reactions that can occur with the red and yellow dyes some people choose to use in tattoos. An improperly placed piercing can damage nerves, and any dentist can tell you horror stories about tongue rings chipping teeth and even causing severe speech impairment.

I won't be one of the people who say that resistance is futile. However, I will say this before anything else: if your child is determined to get a piercing or tattoo, they will get one. Weighing things out in this manner might prompt you to help them find a good, reputable studio with a skilled artist rather than have them come home with an infection caused by the non-sterile needle that Nancy next door used to tear through your child's tongue.

One alternative to either giving in or denying your teen outright is to suggest a temporary form of body art. Most body jewelry has non-piercing "cousins" that utilize magnetic backings or nooses. Tattoos can be "tried out" using henna or the less time-consuming washable tattoo.

While your teen is trying out their body art, inform yourself about the studios in your area. Most states have banned the tattooing or piercing of minors, but you can't count on that to keep your kids from fooling the studios with run-arounds to the ID check and/or permission forms. And that's if your teen goes to a respectable, legitimate establishment. Most flea-market "scratchers" will not ask for ID, or pay much attention to hygiene. Your kid's best-friend can usually obtain a piercing kit through skin-art magazines or the local body jewelry shop.

In the end, what you might want to do is take a field-trip. On your rounds to the local establishments, find out who would be willing to speak frankly with your teenager about body art. If you're going to take it this far, though, be prepared; your teenager might be persistent, and the best you can do is see to it that they are pierced or tattooed in a place that knows what they're doing, has a portfolio to show you, and uses autoclave equipment.

Informed Body Art Decisions

Even the professionals - expert tattoo artists, piercers, and enthusiasts - struggle with their children when it comes to the big decisions about body art. Some parents work out guidelines (pierce your ears no earlier than 11, you can have a second ear piercing when you're 16), while others put their foot down at one rule-breaker, usually "You can pierce your ears - once - but that's it until you're 18."
If you've followed me through this far, I'm going to assume that you're not adverse to my opinions and, hopefully, a little advice. In my mind, body art and teens all comes down to two points:

1. 
   
2. Piercings can be removed and will heal.
   
   
3. 
   
4. Tattoos are a decision on lifestyle, not just your body.
   
5. 
   

With these points in mind, it might be better to work with your teen on what kind(s) of piercing you will allow and explain candidly your reasons for not wanting them to get a tattoo.

I have many friends who received their first tattoos as teenagers. Of those friends, the only ones who are still happy with the body art they received are the ones who started small and inconspicuously. If the tattoo they wanted was on their arms, they ended up spending years covering it with long sleeves and often ended up spending about a thousand dollars in painful laser sessions to remove them.

Along the lines of deciding to prevent your kids from major damage, instead of going the much more difficult route of trying to keep them from any body art at all, here are a few points to keep in mind and speak with your teenager about:

1. 
   
2. Black ink is the easiest to remove (even if they don't think they'll ever want to).
   
3. 
   
4. If a studio doesn't look clean on your first visit there, turn around and walk away.
   
   
5. 
   
6. Ask to see the autoclave. This is a machine that works like a pressure cooker, and creates tools as sterile as a hospital's.
   

7. 
   

8. Needles (tattoo or piercing) should come in a sealed package and be opened right in front of you.
   
   
9. 
   
10. Each pot of ink or petroleum jelly should be fresh and unused.
    

11. 
    

12. Tattoo artists and piercers alike should always wear latex gloves.
    
    
13. 
    
14. Piercing guns should never, ever, be used on anything but the ears.
    
15. 
    

Unless the whole point of the body art experience is to needle you, the parent, your teenager will take the research and time seriously. One of the major indicators about whether you should or should not allow your teen to get body art is that simple thing - if they're willing to go with you and study the studios, look at the different types of piercings, and really understand the health risks, healing times, and cleaning procedures, you can feel a lot safer about giving the okay.