Tattoos: Risks and precautions to know first
By resa | September 17, 2009
A tattoo may take only a few hours to acquire, but invest plenty of thought and research before getting one. If you first take steps to protect yourself from possible risks, what seems like a cool idea now is less likely to turn into a source of regret later.
How tattoos are done
A tattoo is a permanent mark or design made on your skin with pigments inserted through pricks into the skin’s top layer. During the procedure, a needle that’s connected to a small machine with tubes containing dye pierces the skin repeatedly — an action that resembles that of a sewing machine. With every puncture, the needle inserts tiny ink droplets. The process, which may last up to several hours for a large tattoo, causes a small amount of bleeding and minor to potentially significant pain.
Risks of tattoos
Given the popularity of tattoos, complications are relatively uncommon. However, because a tattoo breaches your skin — your body’s main protective barrier — skin infections and other skin reactions are possible.
Tattoo inks are classified as cosmetics, so they aren’t regulated or approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The pigments and dyes used in tattoo inks aren’t approved for injection under the skin. Long-term effects of these are unknown.
Specific risks of tattoos include: Read the rest of this entry »
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