Any health risks related to commercial tattooing are usually exaggerated and sometimes people will go as far as to mount campaigns against tattoo shops opening up in their neighborhoods. Tattoo shops have come a long way from once being a taboo practice to now being one of the fastest growing categories of retail business.
These shops and establishments are now extending into areas that they previously would not have been in. A number of such locations are the different middle-class cities in the United States and the world over. Media establishments have fuelled the association of tattoos with health risks by linking the practice to widely feared diseases and conditions such as HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis.
History has never had a case of HIV transmission occurring through a tattooing that took place in the United States. In contrast to this fact however, more than five documented cases of HIV transmission has been linked to dentists and dental workers.
The truth is that there has never been a documented case of HIV transmission through tattooing anywhere in the United States. However, there have been over five cases of HIV transmission associated with dentists and dental workers.
With respect to hepatitis and tattooing, more than 14,000 cases of the condition are reported on an annual basis. 12 or so of these cases have been associated with tattoos but more than 43 of these cases resulted from a trip to dentist. Tattoo studios follow stringent safety regulations laid down by law so health risks which are related to tattooing are more or less obsolete.
The issues surrounding any health risks that might be related to tattooing are because they involve needles and blood. When tattoo artists follow all the correct sterilization and sanitation procedures, risks for disease transmission are relatively low. If non sterile practices are used then there is a risk of syphilis, hepatitis B, and other diseases.
Infections can occur in new tattoos, especially without appropriate aftercare. Some people also experience allergic reactions to tattoo inks. Although the pigments used may have U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for other purposes, the FDA does not regulate tattoo inks. Tattoo artists must also take special safety measures regarding their hands. Gloves help prevent disease transmission from bodily fluids, but bacteria thrive in the warm, damp environment they create. This means that artists must: wash hands thoroughly and often, inspect hands for cuts or sores and cover them with bandages, remove hangnails and keep nails short to prevent punctures to gloves, and refrain from tattooing when experiencing lesions, dermatitis or allergic reactions.
Because of the nature of the rules and safety regulations which usually apply to the practice of tattooing, tattoo parlors tend to be very careful with the issue of providing these tattoos. The health risks described under most circumstances are those which occur in cases where the proper procedures required are not adhered to. As far as the United States is concerned, getting a tattoo is something safe which you should not bother about as long as you a dealing with a safe and reputable tattoo salon.
