Once upon a time, long ago, we could decorate our bodies in only about three ways: clothing, makeup, and hair. (Think back... think wa-a-a-ay back!) Nowadays, and for quite some time, tattoos and piercings have become almost universally accepted. No longer are they exclusive to carny people, sailers, outlaw bikers, and folks with institutional mailing addresses. Your dentist, or law professor, or your shrink are all equally likely to be Illustrated Men. Or women.
Everywhere you look today there's body graffiti of skulls, dragons, demons and angels. There are slogans in Kanji, Maori, Celtic and Latin. There's cactus, bonsai, orchids, and the stark trees of winter. There are Klingons and Cardassians and attack ships off the shoulder of Orion. There are lions, tiger, and bears; and George Takei saying, "Oh my!"
It's all good! Finally, here's a form of expression for all of us that didn't have the time to spend practicing a musical instrument, or drawing nude models. You've decided YOLO, and want to go for it! Your only concern might be... is it safe?
Your artist at the Titty Tatt (or whatever studio you patronize) will probably be wearing nitrile gloves, a surgical mask, and he will have swabbed you and his area down with antiseptic -- hopefully. He will be using a single-use needle -- hopefully. He will have sterilized his equipment in an autoclave -- hopefully. These are things you can (arguably) check, and the good reputation of the artist will carry some clout, no doubt.
Here's where you come to a real stumbling block, however. If you're one of the 21% of Americans who sport some form of tattoo, you may be shocked to find that there exists no regulation of law requiring sterility in tattoo inks! Nope, not one! The FDA is the overseeing agency in this, and they regard inks as cosmetics, requiring only that the inks receive approval before going on the market. Those ink manufacturers could well be peeing in the ink, just for hoots and giggles, and no one would ever know! Okay, so who cares?
Well, the good news is that the Center for Disease Control is pretty concerned. In 2012, they published some findings. Apparently, there was a "Patient Zero" in upstate New York who contracted a nasty bug called Mycobacterium chelonae, which caused a particular kind of infection dubbed NTM (nontuberculous mycobacterial). More cases followed, and 14 parlors were identified as vectors for the disease. It turns out the bacterium is pretty hardy, too, resisting most antibiotics and treatments. Investigations showed that the artists were doing nothing wrong. Everything and everybody were sterile... but the inks. Backtracking revealed a line of grey inks from Arizona to be the culprit, and the manufacturer was obliged to issue a recall.
The isolated incident is not so isolated, however, and in an issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (Oh, yes. It's an actual periodical!) reported that 10% of unopened inks contaminated with some form or other of icky little critters. You can find this information yourself in the New England Journal of Medicine, or by checking the CDC's official website. Eventually the dangers will be addressed, but for now, patrons of the body arts are at risk.
So, once you've decided you can comfortably go through life with a tree frog on your left cheek, or three turns of stranded barbed wire around your neck, your decision-making ought really to take into account whether or not you're willing to run the other risks.Article Source: invaluable information on skin health, including rough, chapped hands, dry or cracked feet, acne, psoriasis, eczema, or rosacea, go to or for GREAT tips on grooming for men, go to
