Tattoos Are Beautiful but Can Be Dangerous Too

Tattoos were once reserved for tough guys who could withstand the pain of the earlier processes. Tattoos today have become a little less painful and moved into the main stream. Women enjoy them just as much as men. They have become a highly regarded form of art.

Some people opt for a single tattoo that has personal meaning to them. Others tell whole stories through their tattoos. Some hide the little secret in places not everyone can see. Others cover their entire bodies. Either way, this unique body art now has hundreds of thousands of people jumping on board every year.

Although there is no denying that tattoos can be visually stunning, they can also represent a problem. Done incorrectly, tattoos can offer a health danger.

Done by a reputable artist, under sanitary conditions, tattoos are relatively safe. The danger lies not in licensed or well maintained and regulated tattoo parlors. It lies in those seamy little shops in places where regulations are not enforced.

The danger behind poorly done tattoos should be obvious. By their very nature, they require hundreds or even thousands of pin pricks. These are used to insert the dye directly into the skin. For some people that action results in more than a little blood shed. In turn that can mean the transmission of blood born illnesses like HIV, hepatitis, MRSA and tetanus.

Bacteria are another concern. The human body, at any given point in time, carries millions of bacteria on the surface of the skin. The act of tattooing can push existing bacteria into the bloodstream, leading to a myriad of additional health issues.

Transmission of bacteria from tattoo artist to the client is also possible. Improperly cleaned equipment represents another potential hazard along with improper sanitary conditions. Even the personal hygiene of the tattoo artist can represent a threat to his or her client.

The Alliance of Professional Tattoos Artists is the first to admit that such problems can arise. They deplore the fact that some tattoo parlors abandon established standards and ignore regulations. Some even decline to inform the public of the dangers that tattoos can represent. Ultimately, that makes the entire industry look bad, which is the last thing a reputable organization wants.

Additionally, they are concerned over alarming statistics like those uncovered in a study conducted by two doctors at the Southwestern Medical School of University of Texas at the turn of the new century. Their findings, which were published in the Journal of Medicine indicated that tattoos could be a primary cause of hepatitis C. That's alarming given that over 10,000 people die from that disease or problems associated with it each year.

The American Red Cross also acknowledges the problem, refusing blood donations of freshly tattooed individuals. A minimum of 12 months must pass between the tattoo and a subsequent blood donation.

Some states were slow at making tattooing legal. My home state of Oklahoma was the last to board the train. In November of 2006, it finally voted to allow tattooing businesses to be established within the state.

Still, many states also allow local governments to regulate tattooing further. They can establish their own laws and regulations with regard to the art form. Common restrictions include the following:

An age requirement may be set (18 or older);

People under the influence of drugs or alcohol must be temporarily exempted from tattoos;

Homemade tattooing equipment cannot be used;

Certain types of inks are not be allowed;

Certain parts of the body are restricted from tattoos;

Offensive words or images are not allowed and

Tattoo parties are illegal.

In recent years states and localities have begun to impose additional safety maintenance and regulations aimed at protecting the general public. However, many do not actually enforce their own controls, allowing some tattoo parlors to operate outside of the guidelines. Stranger still, the federal government does little to try to regulate tattooing at all. That is why the public needs to be cognizant of the dangers before jumping aboard the tattoo bandwagon.

Truthfully, most people won't experience dangerous disease as a result of their tattoos. However, that doesn't mean they will be exempt from problems. Some could develop allergies related to the ink. Others may be left with scars. A few may even experience cysts or tumors at or near the tattoo site.

That is why it is important to give tattooing serious thought beforehand. Tattoos are basically permanent unless one is rich enough and willing to undergo a number of surgeries for removal. Anything that can permanently affect the human body should not be entered into lightly - - not even for the sake of art.

RESOURCES:

Commercial tattooing as a potentially source of hepatitis C infection, Journal of Medicine, by R.P. Fischer and R.W. Haley, published in March of 2000