The Dangers of Tattoos

The Dangers of Tattoos

Many people think that tattooing is dangerous. Part of this is because people don't think that the tattoo artists sterilize their materials. Others believe that tattoos have a high risk of infection. And the most commonly reported problems are allergic reactions. Others feel as though the pain factor is too immense. Although these fears are common they are easily prevented. Most of the people who believe these things aren't fully informed with information.

The sterilization process for the materials used is extremely important. This reduces risks of several things including infection and disease. When people think of sterilization and risk factors concerning tattoos they have more concern with disease then infection. This is because of the many myths that contracting AIDS or hepatitis B virus is likely. Many people do not know that there has never been an actual reported case of contracting AIDS while getting a tattoo. This is because the amount of blood needed to contract the AIDS virus is about two drops, which is incomparable to the amount of blood on a non-sterilized needle. So, basically the odds of contracting AIDS is one in every two hundred cases of accidental sticking with a non-sterilized needle. One is more susceptible to the hepatitis B virus, because the amount of blood needed is much smaller compared to the amount of blood needed to contract AIDS. The odds becoming infected with hepatitis B is one in every five accidental sticking with a non-sterilized needle. Even though the odds of contracting hepatitis B are much more likely there is a vaccination to prevent acquiring the virus.

Infection is another significant hazard. The degrees of infection vary in seriousness. The least serious of infection is where the tattoo is swollen or sore. Running cold water and keeping it dry fix this type of infection. It heals if treated correctly and is not very painful. Another type of infection is where the tattoo will ooze pus. This is a more serious type of infection and needs to be treated by a doctor. This type of infection normally only happens if you pick at scabs while the tattoo is healing which is definitely preventable. Although a doctor must treat the infection it is usually only to prescribe antibiotic cream or ointment. The most serious type of infection is gangrene. This is very rare and does not happen often. It results in not getting proper care of an open infection. If this happens one should seek medical attention immediately and also let the tattoo place know. Basically infection can be prevented with proper aftercare of the tattoo, which is provided by the tattoo parlor.

The biggest problem with tattooing is an allergic reaction. This can be an allergy to ink. It can either be the contents of the ink or even the color. The most common type of allergic reaction is the Red reaction. This is the most common problem expressed by those