Risks of getting inked

 

For those who love to indulge in getting inked, they should know that there are risks. According to Eli MacKinnon’s article The Hidden Risks of Getting a Tattoo, there was a cluster of individuals who ended up with skin infections in upstate New York from one single tattoo artist. According to the article, the artist was found to have correct hygiene procedures in place – needles, gloves, cleaning, chairs, etc. However, the ink he was using was not sterile. Unfortunately, the ink he was using held a harmful strain of bacteria. After further investigation, three other manufacturers were found to have bacteria in their ink as well. The article doesn’t discuss how many individuals were infected overall. However, according to Filip Kwiatkowski’s article Tattoos, featured in the New York Times, states that “Available in New York from almost 1,400 licensed tattoo artists, tattoos are probably better and safer now than they’ve ever been — more creative and varied, applied in many cases by serious, highly skilled body artists.”

Who do we believe? I personally love getting ink. There are risks in everything we do. We risk getting into an accident and potentially dying when we drive our cars to the store or work. We risk getting electrocuted when we plug something in at home. We risk falling off a ladder and dying when we put up Christmas lights. Getting a skin infection while getting inked is just another nominal risk. For the record, I have known hundred of people who have gotten thousands of tattoos from different artists and shops…even in prison where the sterility should be called into question. None of them have ever developed a skin infection as this article describes. For those of us who love to get ink, there really isn’t a way to ensure you don’t get a skin infection. I consider it a risk worth taking.