Effects And Risks of Tattoos
Everyone is curious about tattoos, whether you want one or you don’t, tattoos spark an interest in all of us; what most people already know about tattoos is that they are permanent and they hurt. Although tattoos may look cool they can have flaws and come with risks so if you’re thinking of getting one in the future here are some things about tattoos you might like to know.
A tattoo is created by injecting ink into the second layer of your skin called the Dermis this is because it will remain in the skin unlike if the ink was injected into the first layer, the Epidermis layer. The Epidermis layer sheds about every two weeks so it’s important that when you receive a tattoo it is deep enough to reach the Dermis layer. Tattoo artists use a tattoo gun that holds needles to puncture and inject ink into the skin. Due to the fact that a tattoo is an open wound there is a chance for it getting infected and swelling leading to granulomas. Granulomas are inflamed tissue around an area where an injury has occurred, in this case it would be where the needle punctured the skin. Also, keloids might develop around the area; which is an overgrowth of scar tissue, so you’ll end up having many irritated red bumps around your tattooed area.
Many people these days receive tattoos with different colors of ink which can be hazardous to your health. Tattoo ink is made up of many unknown ingredients, many which are not approved by the FDA for the use on skin such as antifreeze, detergents, and formaldehyde. People have also reported having allergic reactions to ink which contain metals like nickel and mercury. Even years after receiving a tattoo some people have developed reactions like itchy rashes around the marked area.
More serious risks involved with getting tattoos include contracting Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C, Tetanus or HIV/AIDS; you can get these if the needles a tattoo artist uses are contaminated from blood of previous people they have tattooed, that’s why it is SUPER important that you make sure the artist you go to sterilizes their equipment after each person they tattoo.
If you’re wanting a tattoo make sure you consider all these risks because they can be harmful to you and they are permanent. Make sure you are making the best decision for yourself.