Tattoos are incredible works of art and beauty, but even when you are most excited about getting a tattoo, you must remember that it is also an invasive procedure. The tattoo needle goes in and out of your skin, leaving behind ink that remains under your skin long after the tiny pinprick injuries have healed. When you get a tattoo, although it will likely not be particularly painful, you will bleed, and you will experience some pain. This is because you are being stabbed with a needle and the interior of your body is, in a limited manner, being exposed. As a result, tattoo safety is of the utmost importance. Cross contamination of needles or other equipment can lead to the spread of blood-borne diseases and pathogens, including but not limited to hepatitis and HIV. Of course, because of these issues, nearly all tattoo artists are extremely health conscious and scrupulous about safety and sanitation. Here are several ways to make sure that you get your tattoo in an environment that places your safety first.
Look for clean and sterile equipment.
Some types of tattoo needles are prepackaged and can be opened from their sterile packaging right before use. These packages should be sealed when they first come into your view, and be opened in front of you. If your artist is using a conventional tattoo needle, it should have been autoclaved before use to kill all potential pathogens. An autoclave uses intense heat, steam and high pressure to sterilize equipment, and they are used in hospitals and labs to cleanse equipment and destroy deadly fungi and other contaminants. If a tattoo parlor does not have an autoclave, then do not get a tattoo there.
Some nail salons use UV rays to sanitize their tools. This is not only wholly ineffective, but it perpetrates a dangerous misconception that tanning bed rays are sufficient to sterilize tattoo equipment or any other type of medical needle. This is untrue, and you cannot rely on UV light to sterilize equipment for you. If you are considering a home tattoo, remember that you cannot sterilize the equipment and tools that you need effectively.
Check out the rest of the tattooing environment.
Things should be clean, orderly and neat. While some tattoo parlors thrive on an organized chaos of portfolios, loud music and eclectic design, they are all scrupulously clean. If a tattoo parlor is dirty or if the equipment appears untended or poorly maintained, these are all signs that you would be better off getting tattooed elsewhere.
Get references.
Reliable, clean, safe tattoo parlors tend to have good references. Ask the tattoo artists if you can talk to some former clients. Also, most tattoo parlors have an online presence that is mostly, but not entirely, supported by the company itself. You can usually find online reviews of tattoo parlors and tattoo artists, and well as any dirt, literally and figuratively, that other clients may have noticed. Of course, remember that you have to take everything you read online and off with a grain of salt, so do not write off a tattoo parlor or a tattoo artist without checking into the facts yourself.
If you cannot find references, try the Better Business Bureau or the yellow pages. If anything bad has happened with that tattoo parlor, then it will likely be documented by the Better Business Bureau. On the other hand, a long presence in the yellow pages and many years in business tend to indicate that a tattoo parlor, just like any other business, has mostly satisfied clients and conducts a good practice.
While tattoo parlor safety is important, it is also important for you to be responsible for your personal safety while getting a tattoo. This means no drugs or alcohol (these can make your experience significantly more unpleasant and painful), getting enough rest before you get your tattoo, staying hydrated and having a good meal before you settle in for your tattoo experience. Also, you are responsible for your tattoo aftercare. Just like any other wound, your tattoo is prone to infection, so be sure that you care for it strictly according to the guidelines provided by your tattoo artist. You can also purchase a variety of balms and salves to help your tattoo heal quickly, painlessly and beautifully.
