quote:

And this thread should probably go in health, not morality.

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ORIGINAL: stellaluna

The biggest problem is that people don't want to pay for the cost of a tattoo and they search around for a deal. If you get a great "deal" on a tattoo, it's probably because your "artist" isn't up to par.

Also, most people don't realize that a tattoo is a huge WOUND. RAW FLESH. Staph is everywhere; it can't be completely avoided, no matter what kind of precautions you take. What you can do is FOLLOW AFTERCARE INSTRUCTIONS. I put the problem with tattoos squarely on the person getting them 99% of the time.

(And same with piercings. If your piercer says you shouldn't change your jewelry for six months, guess what? THAT MEANS YOU SHOULDN'T CHANGE THE JEWELRY FOR SIX MONTHS. [sm=aside.gif])

And this thread should probably go in health, not morality.

quote:

ORIGINAL: womaninchrist
You really do need to study up before getting a tattoo or a piercing because you need to know what to look for to help recognize a safe parlor and to know when to cut and run - like what are obvious warning signs no matter what signs were present this was a good place to go.

quote:

ORIGINAL: stellaluna

There has also been a trend to let the client do too much picking of jewelry. Back in the day, nearly every piercing was done with a ring. Rings have more smooth surface, better allow for swelling and are easier to clean. But people want fancier stuff, barbells and whatever, so a lot of piercers started giving them what they wanted. It increases problems with healing for sure.

And a lot of people getting tattooed for the first time aren't always forthcoming--or know to be--about their physical condition. If you're a bleeder, or if you've taken pain medication, you definitely need to tell your artist! If you have problems with scarring or keloids, you definitely need to tell your artist!!! etc.

quote:

ORIGINAL: womaninchrist

It's really about half the artist's responsibilty (and certain risks are almost all the artist's responsibility - like HIV and Hep) and half the recepient's responsibilty (i.e. are they doing all the appropriate aftercare). You really do need to study up before gettig a tatoo or a piercing because you need to know what to look for to help recognize a safe parlor and to know when to cut and run - like what are obvious warning signs no matter what signs were present this was a good place to go. You have to learn about stuff like certifcations (like with piercing, is the artist in the AAP?) and how to recognize signs of good - or bad - sanitation. You also want to ask around and get references/recommendations for parlors and artists.

And even all that (plus following aftercare to the letter) doesn't guarantee that there won't be any problems. Not as bad as what happened to spdrgrl.603, but I followed all the rules and still lost a piercing because the piercer used what turned out to have been the wrong jewelry.

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ORIGINAL: spdrgrl.603
IF YOU WANT I CAN LIST THE DANGEROUS THING MY ARTIST DID THAT WHERE DANGEROUS TO MY HEALTH.

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ORIGINAL: spdrgrl.603

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ORIGINAL: stellaluna

There has also been a trend to let the client do too much picking of jewelry. Back in the day, nearly every piercing was done with a ring. Rings have more smooth surface, better allow for swelling and are easier to clean. But people want fancier stuff, barbells and whatever, so a lot of piercers started giving them what they wanted. It increases problems with healing for sure.

And a lot of people getting tattooed for the first time aren't always forthcoming--or know to be--about their physical condition. If you're a bleeder, or if you've taken pain medication, you definitely need to tell your artist! If you have problems with scarring or keloids, you definitely need to tell your artist!!! etc.

THIS ISN'T ABOUT EAR PIERCING. PLEASE STOP GETTING OFF TOPIC. DO YOU HAVE ANY TATTOOS? THIS ISN'T ABOUT THE PERSON GETTING THE TATTOO NOT BEIN FORTHCOMING ALTHOUGH I AGREE 100%. THERE ARE BAD, BAD, DANGEROUS ARTISTS PRACTICING AND THIS BLOG IS ABOUT THEM. IF YOUR GOING TO KEEP SAYING ITS THE PERSON GETTING THE TATTOO'S FAULT BY NOT FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS OF NOT BEING HONEST (which is the point of the links under my first post. to make people aware of the risks. check them out) THEN PLEASE STOP POSTING HERE. AGAIN THIS IS ABOUT BAD ARTISTS. IF YOU WANT I CAN LIST THE DANGEROUS THING MY ARTIST DID THAT WHERE DANGEROUS TO MY HEALTH.

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ORIGINAL: rainbowtvp

quote:

ORIGINAL: spdrgrl.603
IF YOU WANT I CAN LIST THE DANGEROUS THING MY ARTIST DID THAT WHERE DANGEROUS TO MY HEALTH.

I think that would be very helpful.

Piercing and tattooing carry a lot of the same risks, and I for one am appreciative of the comments.

My dd got her first "real" piercing just a couple of weeks ago, and I was a bit intimidated. I wasn't sure what to ask or expect... though I make sure they used clean materials (they used single use) and asked if they had washed their hands. They wore gloves and even showed dd that they instrument bags hadn't be opened, etc. We had heard good things about them.

But then the instructions they gave her for after care were contrary to what I had read on the 'net... so I wasn't sure...

But... there is another piercer a town over that trains medical personnel how to remove piercings in emergency situations... so I wonder if he might be safer?

She is likely going to want another piercing in the next year or so.

Tattoos are not allowed until she is an adult!

Tara P

quote:

ORIGINAL: rainbowtvp
She has one hole in each lobe that she got at the mall... and now her "tragus" which is an ear cartilage piercing. She also wants to get an industrial piercing which is two holes across the top that they wear a bar through.

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ORIGINAL: rainbowtvp

quote:

ORIGINAL: spdrgrl.603
IF YOU WANT I CAN LIST THE DANGEROUS THING MY ARTIST DID THAT WHERE DANGEROUS TO MY HEALTH.

I think that would be very helpful.


I think that would be very helpful.

quote:

ORIGINAL: rainbowtvp

I figure if she holds off on the tattoo until she is an adult, there is less chance she will regret it. Once she is an adult, it is her choice. I just don't like the idea of something permanent, because I know I wouldn't want to be walking around now with things that I thought were just the coolest when I was 16-18 (and think are very silly now!).

She is only getting ear piercings until she is 18! Actually, I probably wouldn't have a problem with the nose or eyebrow, but I think her dad did say no facial piercings.

She has one hole in each lobe that she got at the mall... and now her "tragus" which is an ear cartilage piercing. She also wants to get an industrial piercing which is two holes across the top that they wear a bar through.

I found the process intimidating, because I had/have no idea what things I should expect regarding sanitation, how do you determine whether someone has enough experience, etc.

A lot of the people we know with piercings have either done NO research or have done them themselves.

Tara P

quote:

ORIGINAL: spdrgrl.603
1. Didn’t wash his hands. He went to the bathroom and tattooed me right after. Took a smoke break and touched door knobs and the phone w/o washing hands. Cross contamination prevention(which tattooists and dentists and doctors follow)state that you must wash your hands before you put the gloves on.
2. Used a dull clogged razor. This is probably the thing that bugged me most. To prevent infection all hair must be shaved off the area to be tattooed. The needle in the tattoo machine pokes our skin at least 3,000 times per minute. If the machine needle which is going very fast up and down comes in contact with hair it will push the hair down into your skin and cause infection. My artist not only used a razor clogged with other patient’s hair (which is a no) because it was so dull and he worked too quickly he cut me several times with the clogged razor. That means I could have gotten the other client’s blood, staph (people can be the colonizer without knowing it. Staph can reside on skin, nose, etc.) or infected. He then put the clogged razor back in the drawer instead of disposing it!
3. There wasn’t any plastic or anything on the armrest to act as a barrier between my skin and the furniture.
4. The artist had the needles rest on the bare table. Huge no. anything going in your skin should not be dropped or rest on any unprotected surface. He was sloppy and spilled over the inks then used them in me.

6. When he applied the petroleum jelly he used his fingers. Throughout the tattooing he kept dipping his fingers in the jar, scooped it out and rubbed it on my bleeding tattoo (he repeated this throughout the three and a half hours). Blood was getting in the petroleum jelly jar and if he did this with other clients need I say more. In the other tattoo shops I’ve been in : Scorpion Tattoo in Derry, NH and Gothic Tattoo in Salem NH (now in Derry) the artists scooped out the petroleum with a tung depressor and had it rest out ready for use, then put the jar way. They never rubbed my bleeding tattoo and then dipped their finger in the jar and continue applying it.
7. Last but not least the night I went to the gas station to fill the car he applied the bacitracin. He squirted the bacitracin on my finger and told me to apply it. I told him I couldn’t because my hands were dirty from touching the pump and he scooped it off my finger (he had no gloves on when he did this and I mentioned earlier that he didn’t wash his hands after going to the restroom, touching door knobs, and the phone) and applied it over my tattoo. Not clean and not good.

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5. Wrapped me with a sheet of paper towel and used a piece of tape to close it. Huge no. towels aren’t sterile and this method of bandaging with a paper towel wasn’t stable. The bandage fell off within ten minutes and I bled completely through. A professional artist knows the right way to bandage. The only thing worse than a sheet of unsterile paper towel is if the artist wraps it in saran wrap. If your artist does this TAKE IT OFF RIGHT AWAY. Your tattoo needs to breathe and the plastic saran wrap creates a petri dish for your tattoo. Bacteria will develop in the petri dish and you’ll be at risk for infection. The best method for bandaging I found is to use Telfa healing pads. They not only are packaged sterile and allow your tattoo to breathe but they absorb the liquids from your tattoo while acting as a barrier between your tattoo and things that could infect it.

quote:

ORIGINAL: stellaluna

quote:

ORIGINAL: spdrgrl.603
1. Didn’t wash his hands. He went to the bathroom and tattooed me right after. Took a smoke break and touched door knobs and the phone w/o washing hands. Cross contamination prevention(which tattooists and dentists and doctors follow)state that you must wash your hands before you put the gloves on.
2. Used a dull clogged razor. This is probably the thing that bugged me most. To prevent infection all hair must be shaved off the area to be tattooed. The needle in the tattoo machine pokes our skin at least 3,000 times per minute. If the machine needle which is going very fast up and down comes in contact with hair it will push the hair down into your skin and cause infection. My artist not only used a razor clogged with other patient’s hair (which is a no) because it was so dull and he worked too quickly he cut me several times with the clogged razor. That means I could have gotten the other client’s blood, staph (people can be the colonizer without knowing it. Staph can reside on skin, nose, etc.) or infected. He then put the clogged razor back in the drawer instead of disposing it!
3. There wasn’t any plastic or anything on the armrest to act as a barrier between my skin and the furniture.
4. The artist had the needles rest on the bare table. Huge no. anything going in your skin should not be dropped or rest on any unprotected surface. He was sloppy and spilled over the inks then used them in me.

6. When he applied the petroleum jelly he used his fingers. Throughout the tattooing he kept dipping his fingers in the jar, scooped it out and rubbed it on my bleeding tattoo (he repeated this throughout the three and a half hours). Blood was getting in the petroleum jelly jar and if he did this with other clients need I say more. In the other tattoo shops I’ve been in : Scorpion Tattoo in Derry, NH and Gothic Tattoo in Salem NH (now in Derry) the artists scooped out the petroleum with a tung depressor and had it rest out ready for use, then put the jar way. They never rubbed my bleeding tattoo and then dipped their finger in the jar and continue applying it.
7. Last but not least the night I went to the gas station to fill the car he applied the bacitracin. He squirted the bacitracin on my finger and told me to apply it. I told him I couldn’t because my hands were dirty from touching the pump and he scooped it off my finger (he had no gloves on when he did this and I mentioned earlier that he didn’t wash his hands after going to the restroom, touching door knobs, and the phone) and applied it over my tattoo. Not clean and not good.

I assume this was your first tattoo and you didn't know any of that shouldn't be happening? (And I also assume you've told everyone you know not to go to that shop?)

quote:


5. Wrapped me with a sheet of paper towel and used a piece of tape to close it. Huge no. towels aren’t sterile and this method of bandaging with a paper towel wasn’t stable. The bandage fell off within ten minutes and I bled completely through. A professional artist knows the right way to bandage. The only thing worse than a sheet of unsterile paper towel is if the artist wraps it in saran wrap. If your artist does this TAKE IT OFF RIGHT AWAY. Your tattoo needs to breathe and the plastic saran wrap creates a petri dish for your tattoo. Bacteria will develop in the petri dish and you’ll be at risk for infection. The best method for bandaging I found is to use Telfa healing pads. They not only are packaged sterile and allow your tattoo to breathe but they absorb the liquids from your tattoo while acting as a barrier between your tattoo and things that could infect it.

This, though...it is accepted procedure to protect a tattoo with plastic wrap for a few hours, until you can get home and thoroughly wash it. I do know of people who replace the plastic (with clean plastic) after each washing for a day or so, when their tattoo is oozy. I've only seen paper towels used for very small tattoos or outlines. Mostly though, if you're just getting outlined, you probably won't get bandaged at all or get bacitracin. Telfa is fine, but not if you have a sleeve or backpiece or pretty much anything larger than the palm of your hand.