Tattoo and Piercing Safety
Overview
If you are thinking about having a tattoo or body piercing, go to a reputable studio. Look for or ask about the following:
- Is it clean?
- The entire studio, including the bathroom, should be clean.
- Do the tattoo or piercing artists follow these steps to prevent infection?
- Wash their hands before putting on new, disposable gloves.
- Clean the client's skin properly with iodine or alcohol before the procedure.
- For tattoos, they use sterile equipment, new needles, and disposable single-use ink cups for each tattoo. And they use sterile water to dilute ink or rinse needles during tattooing.
- For body piercing, they use sterile needles that are only used once.
- What type of training does the person doing the tattooing or piercing have?
- Is a piercing gun used to do the procedure?
- What kind of jewelry is used for the piercing?
- For a new piercing, use nonallergenic jewelry made of material such as surgical steel, gold, or titanium.
- Do not use nickel or brass-plated jewelry.
- Choose jewelry that has not been used or worn or that has been sterilized.
Credits
Current as of: December 4, 2024
Current as of: December 4, 2024