How are tattoos done?

A tattoo can be defined as a permanent mark or design that is placed on your skin with colors inserted through pricks into the top layer of your skin. A needle connected to some small machine containing dye pierces the skin repeatedly just like you have seen with a common sewing machine.  With every one puncture the machine will insert some drops of ink. Depending on the size of your tattoo, the process is likely to take just a few hours with a minimal amount of bleeding to some just small amount of pain and you are done.

Risks of tattoos

Doctor Removing Tattoo

Since tattoos are very popular there are several complications that are likely to occur. The tattoo basically violates your skin which is the body’s main protective barrier from the elements of nature; it becomes very possible to get skin infections and other skin reactions as well.

The inks that are used on tattoos are classified as cosmetics and since the pigments are not meant for injections under the skin the long term effects are yet to be known properly.

Specific risks of tattoos include:

• Blood-borne diseases: If the equipment used for your tattoo is contaminated with blood fro, a person with an infection, you can potentially contract serious blood borne diseases such as hepatitis C, hepatitis B, tetanus, tuberculosis and HIV – the virus that is responsible for AIDS.
• Skin disorders: you are likely to develop some bumps known as granulomas around the tattoo if your tattoo includes red ink. Tattoos are also known to cause areas of raised excessive scarring if you are prone to this problem.
• Skin infections: there are people who have gotten bacterial infections due to tattooing. The obvious signs and symptoms that something could be wrong will include redness, swelling, warmth together with a pus-like drainage. There is even talk of potentially anti-biotic resistant skin infections linked to some unlicensed tattoo artists who do not follow infection prevention procedures. Some of these anti-biotic resistant skin infections often lead to pneumonia, blood infections and a painful flesh destroying condition known as necrotizing fasciitis.
• Allergic reactions: tattoo dyes and the red dyes in particular are known to cause allergic reactions that result in an itchy rash at the tattoo site which may even occur years after the tattoo.
• MRI complications: in rare cases tattoos or any permanent makeup may cause some swelling or burning in the areas affected during magnetic resonance imaging scans. There have been cases where a person with permanent eyeliner has an MRI of the eye – tattoo pigments interfere with the quality of the image.  There may be need for some medical care if you develop any allergic reaction, infections or any skin disorder. In some cases there may be need for permanent tattoo removal to clear some complications.

Taking care of your tattoo

The care that you will give your tattoo will be dependent on the type and the extent of the work done on your body. A good tattoo artist should be able to provide you with detailed instructions on how to take care of your tattoo. This will include details of how and when to clean it with soap and water, applying moisturizers and avoiding exposure to the sun for the first few weeks.  It will usually take several days or weeks for your typical tattoo to heal. You should not pick at scabs, because that may increase the risk of infection and can easily damage the design and cause some scars.

Tattoo removal

The most common problem with tattoos is customer dissatisfaction. Sometimes the tattoo may fade and if the artist injected the color too deeply into your skin the dye can easily drift making the design to look blurred. There are times you will wake up and simply decide the tattoo no longer fits your current status or the image that was stylish when you put in your design has ceased to be the in thing.

Tattoos are made to be permanent so having it removed completely is going to be somewhat difficult. No matter what method you are going to use to remove your tattoo, scarring and skin color variations are most likely going to remain.

Precautions to protect yourself

You can reduce the possibilities of your having to deal with complications later if you be keen to follow these precautions:

• State or local license: check with you city council or state health department on issues of licensing and regulation in your area and also choose a reputable parlor that is clean, tidy and employs properly trained artists.
• An autoclave: this is a heat sterilization machine that should be used to sterilize all in-disposable equipment after each and every customer. Those instruments that cannot be sterilized with an autoclave need to be disinfected with commercial disinfectant or bleach solution after every use. This may include drawer handles, tables and sinks.
• Fresh equipment: You need to make sure that the tattoo artist removes a needle and tubes from sealed packages before the beginning of your procedure and that al the pigments, trays and containers have not been used on another customer.
• Gloves: your tattoo artist needs to wash his or her hands and put on fresh gloves fro each procedure and should necessarily change those gloves if he or she needs to touch anything else such as a telephone during the procedure.

If you are considering a tattoo then understand the risks and take all the precautions to get your body art done correctly without exposing yourself to risks. Also be in a clear state of mind since tattoos are permanent and removing them afterwards is difficult and expensive.  Never make the decision under any pressure from peers or under the influence of drugs or alcohol.