The Dangerous Art of the Tattoo

for the "artist" among us.....

Tatoos

I see a lot of talk about tatoos, but I never see any articles on tatoos that have aged. Your skin is a dynamic organ that constantly changes. Over time, so does your tatoo. If your kids want a tatoo, take them to a retirement village or Veterans Home to pick out their Tatoo. When they see how it will look after a few years, they will not look so appealing.

Art & The Human Body

Artists and creativity are now so stifled by corporations and stardards that they must resort to alternate means of expression. I have 6, they are tasteful, meaningful, and hidden. I am an executive and I feel they are personal, and therefor not exposed in the workplace. It does impact peoples opinions and unfortunately opinions carry weight. I think the secret is to be happy with yourself and your image, what ever it may be. And of course to ink responsibly in clean areas. Everyday we get in a car or on a train or walk somewhere we risk getting in an accident, tripping and falling and smashing our faces. Really, isn't everything a risk. Weigh it, if it makes sense for you and you are rational and sober when you make it, then you shouldn't regret it. The key is meaning and self worth. You are what you eat, and you are to others how they perceive you.

Doctor Healy is completely correct.

I’m a guy and do have my children’s tattooed on my arm although I wouldn’t do it again, but at least it isn’t a snake or an ex-girlfriend and it is worse for women than men. There are a lot of women today that won’t be happy with their tattoos when they’re grandmothers. Closing, I’ll also add my wife had a fatal heart attack while still in her 40s and now that I’m dating again I’m glad I don’t have her name written on my body.

More anti-tattoo scare tactics

Too often, anti-tattoo articles appear in print which are typically written by someone without a tattoo. Documented tattooing has existed in nearly every culture for 5000 years. So, why, in this new millennium, is tattooing viewed so adversely? A fine artist friend of mine once thought that people react negatively because of the "keeping up with the Jones' factor." In other words, if more and more people get tattooed I will HAVE to get one too.

Choosing to be tattooed is not a frivolous decision. A PROFESSIONAL tattooist will not tattoo everyone who walks through the door. Most often, tattooists work by appointment to ensure the client is not acting hastily. He/she will also have a consent form that explains the process is permanent, can react, will change with time, etc. So, to those planning to get a tattoo, gather information first and make an educated decision to do so.

Speaking of information, much of what we find in regard to tattooing on the internet and in print elsewhere, is usually incorrect, opinionated and mythic. Just as in this article. "Ink deep under the epidermis," is very misleading to the lay person. The epidermis in its thickest areas (palms and soles) is about 1.5mm thick. Palms and soles, by the way, do not readily accept being tattooed. The ink is implanted in the epidermis. Any deeper, the tattoo will take on a blurry edge. The top layer of skin is dead skin and is shed every two weeks. Don't be frightened or misled by medical jargon.

As a tattoo artist with 32 years experience, I have never seen a tattoo develop skin cancer. In fact, I have detected cancerous growths while tattooing and have helped several clients identify them as such. They were able to get treatment before the growths became problematic. They may not have every discovered them if I wasn't tattooing their skin. I can also tell you of a client who developed skin cancer on his legs, but the areas with tattoos were not affected.

Tattooing as a women's health issue, according to this article, refers only to pregnancy neatly covered under the subtitle of Stigma. This seems rather incongruent. The term "tramp stamp" is derogatory. Personally, I refer to them as sacrum tattoos which is descriptive of the placement. Women birthing naturally with no fear of pain (possibly because they're tattooed) usually don't receive dangerous epidurals which can often leave you paralyzed.

The real dangers of tattoos come from greedy suppliers selling kits to the untrained.

If you don't want a tattoo, don't get one. If you don't like the way they look, avert your gaze. If you want a tattoo, do your homework and choose a professional, respectable tattoo artist with several years experience and knowledge. Choose your designs and placement wisely. If you dislike your tattoo you can opt for cover-up, rework or removal. Removal is costlier and can leave scars that are more unattractive than the tattoo. If you regret your decisions in life, own up to them.

You Tattoo Me

I am 54 and received my first Tattoo 30 years ago. It was a small dragon on my right shoulder. You could only see it if I was shirtless or sleeveless. Because of the new standard in factory inks which had just come out people often assume it is a new Tattoo. I give it no special care except to stay out of the sun which I must do because I burn in 15 minutes. I liked my Dragon so much and being a devote of Oriental and Buddhist Culture I sought someone to do a Full Sleeve (whole arm) of a Dragon. This was six years after my first Tattoo. I studied the magazines looking for a qualified artist. I found Shotsie an International Award Winning Artist who had the Board of Health inspect his shop every year. It wasn't the law, it was how he ran his shop. Over the next year going once or twice a month we became friends. I explained to Shotsie what I wanted and he freehanded my interpretation. After the first week we never talked about the Dragon again. He would just show me what he just spent three hours working on before he bandaged it up and it was always better than I had pictured it. Maybe this color or that. In the end it cost about $5,000.00. Now over 24 years later people think I've had it done within the last year. Plus my little Dragon is incorporated into the Sleeve. I have had Shotsie do a few more on my other arm to balance things out. I am happy with my Tattoo's and don't regret ever having them done. They are part of me as I am part of them. *

Late-in-Life Tattoos

There's a solution to the tattoo dilemma - don't decide until you're at least 50 years old. Then you'll be sure of what you REALLY want. I celebrated my 60th birthday last year with my first tattoos...a St. Louis Cardinal on my right ankle and my husband's name on my left flank. They're beautiful and I love 'em and I doubt if I'll change my mind for at least 20-30 years!

(My husband says if 60-year-old grandmas are getting tattoos, they've truly entered the mainstream.)

body piercing, belly button ring

what is the risk involved with doing the piercing?

my niece wants to do it.

Tattoo

Dear Dr. Healy:

I find the widespread use of tattoos to be objectionable and offensive.

The practice had its origin in Ancient Egypt, where prostitutes often tattooed their pelvic region with symbols of genitalia, presumably as advertising. Men took up the usage (of tattoos), and then tattoos became the symbol of oppression, persecution, exploitation, and slavery in Egypt, then Babylonia, Syria, Greece and Rome. The Catholic Church tried to stop the practice of tattoos but it arose again, in the Nazi Concentration Camps.

I see no reason why anyone would want to disfigure the beautiful bodies which are given to us.

I am sorry to hear that laser eradication is risky. That does not bother me in the case of voluntary tattoos, since they knew or should have known tattoos are risky.

However, in cases where the tattoos were acquired forcibly, I feel it is too bad that lasers are so dangerous. I would hope that in the case of German tattoos, the size of the tattoo would be such as to accommodate surgery as an option.

Thank you for an interesting and well-done article.

Tattoos

I like to hear people get all worked about what other people choose to do to their body when our government allows the use of the bovine growth hormone in the animals that our children and families consume. Whether it is dairy or meat, our little ones are consuming chemicals that are having negative effects on their bodies. Effects range from puberty taking place at a much younger age to cancer. Why don't we take steps to regulate what is put in EVERYONE'S food instead of using your conservative ideals to make sure more people are discriminated against or to instill fear into the parents of those who have tattooed children or relatives. If the real issue here is the well being of our fellow humans and to educate them about the evils of an industry, lets start with an industry that effects most of America.