Friday | February 10, 2012
Body Art: Lifestyle Choice or Life Sentence? –Tattoos and Piercings Go Mainstream
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By
Kate Tobin
11 March 2004
During the last 10 years, according to U.S. News & World Report, tattoo parlors have become one of America’s fastest growing categories of retail business, with the semi-taboo dual practices of tattooing and piercing the body becoming more accepted by mainstream America.
College students are one of the biggest groups creating that change. Need proof? While hanging out recently with 10 of my closest friends from high school, I shared in a conversation about tattoos, piercings, and who had gotten what done since graduation. In our group, the tally was: two pierced navels, two tattoos, multiple ear-piercings, and three more were considering new or additional tattoos and piercings.
Amidst all the laughter, fears about the health risks involved went largely unmentioned. With all the misinformation out there, few were entirely sure what the dangers are, or are not. In the frequent HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has consistently noted that it has documented "no cases of HIV transmission through tattooing" since it began tracking such data in 1985.
However, there is some connection between tattooing and Hepatitis-C. During the past 20 years, almost 1 percent of persons with Hepatitis-C gave a history of being recently tattooed to the CDC’s sentinel surveillance system.
Further studies are needed to determine if these types of exposures, and the settings in which they occur, are risk factors for infection in the United States. Essentially, any immediate risks can be greatly diminished if proper sanitary/safety procedures are in place
For students looking to permanently express their wild side, tattooing and piercing is relatively simple, though not always inexpensive. While a piercing can be taken out, (only time will heal the hole), tattoos are neither easy nor cheap to remove. You can expect to pay upwards of $1,000 for removal of a small-sized tattoo if you go with laser surgery, while other removal procedures can leave ugly scars. NO removal procedure is covered by health insurance.
If you have made up your mind that you are getting a tattoo, it is important to really consider what you want beforehand. There are basically two kinds of tattoos: flash and custom. "Flash" refers to the ready-made designs you see on the walls of a tattoo parlor, while "custom" is a design you bring with you.
If you know you want a certain design, try to find as many images as possible to select one you’ll still love down the road. If the design you choose includes text, proofread it with your tattooist before you start.
Another smart option for those shopping around is the old "parent freak-out" maneuver, also known as clip-on earrings and temporary tattoos. Along with providing you with endless hours of fun freaking out your relatives, briefly experimenting with a "look" will let you know if it’s really what you want. If you’re thinking about a navel ring, try a clip-on to see how it looks and decide if it catching on your sweater with frequency would tempt you to rip a real one out.
Many tattoo parlors offer mehendi, which is the practice of painting the skin with henna, traditionally done in India to decorate the forearms and hands of brides. When applied correctly, henna stains the skin and can last several weeks. Temporary mehendi tattooing is a great way to test out a tattoo.
Lori Leven, owner of N.Y. Adorned, pointed out that many first-time tattoo and piercing procurers tend to go with something small, and out of the way. Boston College sophomore Melanie Getreuer chose a small musical note (above her ankle) because, "I can hide it with a band-aid for job interviews, it’s distinctive, and it meant something to me. You want to be able to look at what you chose years from now and say ‘I got it because of X, Y, Z, and that hasn’t changed.’"
© 2008, Young Money Media, LLC. All rights reserved.
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