Body Art, which uses the human body as the artist’s canvas, has become popular with many celebrities regularly displaying their tattoos. This has spawned a number of individuals who copy their favoritecelebrity through the use of body art. Although people have decorated their bodies with tattoos and body piercingsfor thousands of years, there are concerns about safety and health issues. Tattooing and body piercing involve penetrating the skin, one of the human body’s foremost defense or barrier against infection, thereby increasing one’s risk for infection.
If done properly, by a trained and equipped licensed tattoo artist or body piercer, the possibility of contracting a bloodborne infectious disease, such as hepatitis B or C or HIV, should be minimized, although still existent. Sincethe instruments involved in body art practices come into contact with skin, blood and other bodily fluids, tattoo artistsmust take the necessary precautions to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. When following proper safety practices, such as sterilizing and disinfecting, the risk for contracting a bloodborne infectious disease is greatly reduced.
When considering getting a tattoo or having your body pierced, follow the safety guidelines below.
- Tattoo or body piercing should be done only by a licensed tattoo artist or body piercer, in a professional setting, with proper safety precaution.
- Needles or other instruments that penetrate the skin should be in sterile packages and opened only prior to use, then used once and discarded in a biohazard container. This includes razors if they must be used toshave hair from area to be tattooed or pierced. Have artist or piercer open all packages in front of you.
- All reusable instruments must be disinfected and sterilized.
- A new pair of latex gloves must be used for each client.
- The working area must be neat and clean and sterilized after each customer.
- A new container of sterile ink must be used for each client.
- Educate yourself about how bloodborne pathogens are transmitted and what precautions should be taken to prevent transmissions in these types of settings.
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