Not only is it Valentine’s Day but it’s also my 23 birthday! I love celebrating this holiday on top of the birthday fun!
Picture courtesy of Flickr.
So haven’t stopped by Marlowe’s Ink yet, but it’s coming up this week (delay echoes from my birthday…)
But on the topic of tattoo shops, I read recently on Middletown Journal that an Ohio tattoo shop was closed after a police sting and the arrest of the shop owner for not having a health permit.
Ohio police aren’t the only officials to crack down on the health aspect of tattoos and piercings. The FDA posted a consumer health update stating they have gotten reports of tattoo ink reactions spanning people who are newly tattooed to those with year(s) old ink. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, investigation into some of these health risk cases have lead to unlicensed tattoo artistry.
On their December 2007 consumer update, the FDA stated the following risks for getting tattoos:
- Infections such as like hepatitis and HIV
- Tattoo pigment allergic reactions
- Scarring from both getting and removing tattoos
- Small knots or bumps that form under the skin
- Very rarely tattoo swelling or burning during a MRI can occur
The FDA will be conducting research on tattoo ink pigments to determine the safety of tattoos and the human body. But until there are any conclusions and approvals, they claim no responsibility for health risks in relation to tattoos.
“The FDA has not approved any tattoo inks for injection into the skin,” said their consumer update. “And many ink pigments used are industrial strength colors suitable for printers' ink or automobile paint.”
The FDA is just starting their research, but why have they waited so long to investigate when tattoos have been increasing each year?
About 36 percent of people born between 1981 and 1988 have at least one tattoo, according to a study released in January 2007 by the Pew Research Center.
The FDA stated in the consumer update that there were other public health concerns that were more urgent.
In the mean time, don’t stop getting tattoo’s quite yet. It all depends on the individual and how their body handles allergic reactions. But, overall tattoo pigment reactions are quite uncommon.
2 comments:
Wow! To get in here, I had to click past a warning about "potentially objectionable content!"
How do you feel about getting that label? I had glanced over your blog a few days ago, and so I was surprised to come back and get a "warning," since there didn't seem to be anything really risque that I noticed.
Guess it's the skin in the pictures?
I was more surprised because I thought the disclaimer had been applied to your blog by someone who had read it (based on the wording of the disclaimer.) If you chose to add it yourself, I think that's fine -- fewer worries about complaints, if there was ever a risk.
Could be premature, though. It sounds like your idea of asking Prof Klein and Whitney what they think would be helpful.
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