Tattoos-Myths and Realities-The unexpected risks of getting inked.(Part–1)

The craze of tattooing ,once the prerogative of certain communities,has now spread across the globe in its new western avatar.This trend ,however has also brought possible health hazards like AIDS,Hepatitis-B and C.Numerous pediatricians have reported that in teenaged cases of Hepatitis C,50% have tattoos.Similar findings are echoed by Gynecologists that tattoos are responsible for the increased incidence of Hepatitis B during pregnancy.butterfly_sitting_in_hands_8118-tato

According to some doctors a tattooing machine is able to puncture the skin 3,000 times a minute .The average tattoo takes about 60 minutes to make meaning that 1,80,000 tiny puncture wounds can provide a potential hazard for deadly disease like AIDS,Hepatitis-B and C,Tetanus and many other contact and blood borne diseases. Papers submitted on research performed by Dr. Bob Haley and Dr. Paul Fischer of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School said that getting body tattoos at parlors may well be the "number one distributor of Hepatitis C." The doctors found that getting tattoos at an establishment "accounted for more than twice as many Hepatitis C infections as injection-drug use." The research also said that people who get a body tattoo in a parlor are "nine times more likely to get Hepatitis C" because of infected needles and unsanitary conditions. This is the reason that people who get a body tattoo aren’t allowed to donate blood to the American Red Cross for an entire year.

Mostly, ink used for tattoos contains metal filaments for brightness and permanency can cause serous health problems for someone needing life saving investigations like MRI(Medical Resonance Imaging), as they can burn or swollen up.

  • Allergic reactions-Tattoo dyes can cause itchy rash,even years after someone was inked.
  • Skin infections. A skin infection — which might cause redness, swelling, pain and a pus-like drainage can be there after tattoos,if not done under proper sanitized conditions .
  • Granulomas and keloid scars.

Got inked now want to remove them-adhere to the space for Part –2 scheduled next week  The Tattoo Stigma-Myths and Realities

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