Tattoos

Are tattoo’s right for me' Is a tattoo right for me' The art of tattooing has been around for a long time. There are many people in the world who have tattoos, and many reasons as to why people get tattoos. We see people walking around with names, faces and all kinds of different symbols tattooed on their bodies. These same people also might regret getting the tattoo and want it removed. There are also medical issues, like Hepatitis B and AIDs, that are associated with getting tattoos that one needs to think about. The art of tattooing has been around for centuries however, there are many things one should consider before getting a tattoo. The art of tattooing has been around for centuries. The first people who were discovered to have tattoos were the Egyptians. The tattoos were found on the bodies of women, dating back to c. 2000 B.C. Then in 1991 the body of an Iceman on the Italian-Austrian border was found with tattoos on his body. The scientists performed carbon dating tests on his body, the body was found to be over 5,200 years old. The tattoos on the Iceman are thought to be for medicinal purposes. The tattoos were of small crosses and dots. The tattoos were placed on the body in areas that corresponded with strain-induced degeneration. There are many different ancient cultures that used tattoos. In ancient Egypt the art of tattooing was thought to be an exclusively female practice. Joann Fletcher a researcher at the University of York in Britain has said, (Lineberry, 2007) “the mummies found with tattoos were usually dismissed by the male excavators who seemed to assume the women were of “dubious status,” described in some cases as “dancing girls”. Some of the other ancient cultures that used tattoos are the Nubians to the south of Egypt c.2000-15000 B.C., Libyan c. 1300-1100 B.C, Scythian Pazyrk of the Altai Mountain Region, Greeks, Romans, and pre-Columbian cultures of Peru and Chile. (Lineberry, 2007). The word tattoo is said to have come from the Polynesian word “tatao”, which means to tap. Others believe it comes from the Tahitian word “tatu”, which means to mark (Tattoos by Design, 2005). There are many different reasons why people will mark their bodies with tattoos. In ancient times tattoos were used to show a person’s social stature. Tattoos were also used as a form of punishment (Lineberry, 2007). In society today there are many different reasons why people mark their body with tattoos. Some people will use tattoos to show their love for their spouse, child, or another family member. The person may tattoo the particular family members name or face on their body. There are some people who get religious tattoos. These people may tattoo a cross, the face of Jesus, or Mary on their body to show their devotion to their beliefs. Some people may get tattoos to memorialize a significant event in their lives. There are people who will mark there body with tattoos to show the tattoo off as a form of art to the world. A person may like a certain symbol or design and that person may tattoo that symbol or design on his-her body (Jackson, 2007). There are also people in prison who use tattoos for certain reasons. The prisoner will use the tattoos to show what crimes the prisoner has committed, what prisons the prisoners have been in, and to show the prisoners name or the name of the prisoners gang, if they belong to one (Walker, 2009). Robert Walker states that (Walker, 2009) “There is one particular tattoo that has become popular over the years that has become a generic symbol for gang members and non-gang members of all races and ethnicities, the teardrop tattoo.” There are people who have said that getting a tattoo makes them feel sexy, this feeling is more popular among women than men. There are people who have stated that getting a tattoo has made them feel more rebellious. There are also people who say getting a tattoo makes them feel attractive. Thirty years ago when people were getting tattoos the people were of the military, bikers, prisoners, and gang members. The younger generation today have started getting tattoos as young as 14 years old boys and girls alike (The Vanishing Tattoo, 2003). However, there are some people out there that have had regrets with getting a tattoo. Some of the regrets that people have had are that the people have put the name of a person on their body and they no longer have a relationship with that person and want the tattoo gone. The person does not like the look of the tattoo anymore and wants the tattoo removed. The tattoo is visible for everyone to see and sometimes the person wants to be able to cover it up. The tattoo has now become faded and does not look right. The person made a rash decision to get the tattoo in the first place and now the person no longer wants the tattoo. When they received the tattoo the person contracted an infection or disease. The person is a different person now and does not like the tattoo anymore. The tattoo is visible and it affects the persons current job, and might affect a different job in the future (The Vanishing Tattoo, 2003). There are a few ways a person can get rid of his-her tattoo if the person does not want it anymore. There is laser surgery. This is the most common form of tattoo removal that people use today. The laser light passes through the skin and breaks up the tattoo, so a person’s body can process the altered pigment. A person may have to have several treatments before the tattoo disappears. There is a technique call Dermabrasion that can remove tattoos. The area where the tattoo is located is chilled until numb, and then the tattoo is sanded down. This procedure is not painful, but it could leave a scar. The last and most extreme way a person could remove a tattoo is by surgery. The doctor would surgically cut the tattoo from the person’s body and sew the skin together. This procedure could also leave scarring on the body (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2008). When a person is looking into getting a tattoo, he-she needs to make sure to check out the tattoo parlor to make sure the materials the tattooer is using are new and sterile. The Mayo Clinic Staff says that (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2008) “ 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.” There are blood-borne diseases and skin infections associated with getting tattoos. Some of the blood-borne diseases a person can contract when he-she gets a tattoo are tuberculosis (TB), hepatitis C, and hepatitis B (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2008). TB comes from bacterium in the blood called Mycobacterium Tuberculosis. The bacteria attacks the lungs, it also has the potential to attack any part of the body. The TB virus can be fatal if not treated properly. Tuberculosis is transmitted through the air, if a person is infected with TB, it can be spread to the people he-she are in contact on a daily basis. TB can be treated with many different drugs, which must be taken for six months to one year (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009). Then there is Hepatitis C it is spread by the use of contaminated needles. A person can have Hepatitis C without knowing he-she has the disease, there are no symptoms that arise with Hepatitis C. The disease can be undetected until a person starts to have problems with his-her liver. Hepatitis B is also spread by contaminated needles. The virus attacks a person’s liver. The virus can cause some complication with people, like liver failure, or liver cancer. The majority of people with the virus will recover fully (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2009). One of the skin infections a person can contact is called MRSA (pronounced MER-suh). The bacteria for this skin infection can be passed very easily from the tattoo artist to the person receiving the tattoo, which is why it is considered a bigger threat than other skin infections that are associated with tattoos. The skin infection MRSA is considered to be a difficult infection to treat, but it is not impossible. There have been cases where the infection has been fatal (Hudson). Tattoos can be a great way to express oneself. There are some things to consider when deciding to get a tattoo. Is the tattoo the person wants the right choice for that person' The tattoo will be a permanent fixture on a person’s body. The tattoo can be a form of art to some and a form of pain and suffering to others. Another consideration to make is where to have the tattoo performed. Is the area clean and do the attendants use new sterilized equipment.