Body art: tattoo & piercing do’s and don’ts

Body art is now mainstream, with all and sundry getting the odd tattoo here or there, and why not a belly button stud? But these practices do carry health risks.

Because both tattooing and body piercing are performed with needles and other instruments that damage the skin and draw blood, they can provoke infection and other health problems.

The first of these that comes to mind is of course the risk of AIDS contamination, but it’s not the only one. Read on and take note of what you should and shouldn’t be doing when going for a tattoo or body piercing. Body art shouldn’t be making you fall ill!

Tattoos and piercing: some do’s and don’ts

• Don’t have tattoos or piercing done if you have AIDS, Hepatitis B or C, or if you are allergic to ink or colourings used in tattooing, or certain metals used in piercing;

• Don’t get a tattoo during pregnancy as it could become deformed once your body size reduces to normal after your pregnancy (even on a swollen ankle!);

• Don’t get a new tattoo if you are planning on being out in the sun over the two months following the tattoo. The skin needs to time to completely heal before any exposure to the sun;

• Don’t submit to local anaesthetic thinking that it will reduce the pain – in fact the pain will be more severe after the anaesthetic has worn off;

• Do note that genital piercing is the diciest, with the stud or ring being rejected by the body 50% of the time. It’s difficult to know in advance how the body will react to such foreign objects and inks… and some bodies don’t like them at all;

• Do be watchful for any allergic reaction after getting a piercing or tattoo: inflammation, swelling, burning… Such allergies are due to both the metals used in piercing and the colours in tattoos. Thankfully a lot of progress has been made with these materials, so allergies are rarer than they once were.

The do’s of choosing a body art practitioner…

• Do choose your piercer or tattooist carefully, making sure that they are respecting the rules of hygiene and good practice. Much of this body art activity is under-regulated, so you need to take personal responsibility with such procedures;

• Do go to a professional recognised practitioner – avoid flea market or back store set ups, often not up to the mark in hygiene;

• Do thoroughly check the hygiene and facilities and ask all the questions you want regarding single-use sterilized needles, instrument sterilisation etc. before going under the needle;

• Do keep the mastery required for piercing in mind… you can’t just bung a belly ring in any old way, the type of metal, size, the right, placement, skin thickness… all need to be considered by the piercing practitioner.

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Geneviève Pons

Posted 20.02.2012

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