William Penn Life, 2005 (40. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2005-01-01 / 1. szám
HealthPage Skin Dee Tattoos and piercings: What to know before you go under the needle Copyright Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. All rights reserved. Used with permission from www.MayoClinic.com wthether you're watching basketball players on TV or strolling through a shopping mall, it's not hard to find people who set themselves apart by altering their appearance with tattoos and piercings. Men and women have been decoratively piercing their skin for thousands of years, and the practice is going strong today. These decorations may be used to express individuality, to indicate membership in a group or to attract attention. But such body modification carries with it the risk of health problems ranging from minor bacterial infections to life-threatening illness. If you're considering a tattoo or piercing, understand the risks and research the process beforehand. Get your tattoo or piercing done correctly and use proper care afterward to reduce the risks involved. Tattoo and piercing basics Estimates on just how many people are tattooed or pierced vary widely, but up to 20 million Americans may be sporting tattoos. An even larger number may have piercings, particularly if you include the number of people with pierced ears. So what exactly are these decorations, and how are they done? Tattoos. A tattoo is a permanent mark or design made on your body with pigments inserted into your skin through pricks in the skin's top layer. A needle that's connected to a small machine with tubes containing dye pierces the skin repeatedly, inserting tiny ink droplets with every puncture. The procedure, which may last up to several hours for a large tattoo, causes a small amount of bleeding and a level of pain that can vary from minor to significant. Tattoo designs can range from small pictures of fish or flowers in inconspicuous places to large dragons or ornate designs covering the entire back or arms. Piercings. Body piercing is traditionally done without any anesthesia to dull the pain. The practitioner pushes a hollow needle through a body part, then inserts a piece of jewelry into the hole. Some practitioners may use piercing guns, but these are difficult to sterilize and can more easily damage the skin. The ears are the most commonly pierced sites; up to 90 percent of females have at least one piercing in each ear. But other sites include the eyebrows, nose, lips, tongue, nipples, navel and genitals. The risks of body decorations Tattooed artwork and piercings can come at a price. Body modification involves breaching one of your body's main protective barriers — the skin. Any time the needle pokes through your skin, you face the risk of an infection. And tattoo dyes and certain jewelry metals can cause skin reactions. Specific risks include: • Allergic reactions. Tattoo dyes, particularly red dye, can cause allergic skin reactions, resulting in an itchy rash at the tattoo site. This may occur even years after you get the tattoo. Some piercing jewelry is made of nickel or brass, which also can cause allergic reactions. • Blood-borne diseases. If the equipment used to do your tattoo or piercing is contaminated with an infected person's blood, you can contract a number of serious blood-borne diseases. These include hepatitis C and HIV, the virus that causesAIDS (which both can be fatal) as well as hepatitis B, tetanus and tuberculosis. • Oral complications. Jewelry worn in tongue piercings can chip and crack your teeth and cause gum damage. • Regret. At some point, you may decide you don't want your tattoo anymore, for example, if it no longer fits your image or if it affects your career choices. Tattoo artwork may also blur or fade, and you may not be happy with its appearance. • Skin disorders. Your body may form bumps called granulomas around tattoo ink, especially if your tattoo includes red ink. Tattooing can also cause areas of raised, excessive scarring called keloids. 6 William Penn Life, January 2005
