Today, people from all walks of life have tattoos, which might lead you to believe that tattoos are completely safe.
A tattoo is a permanent mark or design made on your skin with pigments inserted through pricks into the skin’s top layer.
Typically, the tattoo artist uses a hand-held machine that acts much like a sewing machine, with one or more needles piercing the skin repeatedly. With every puncture, the needles insert tiny ink droplets.
The process which is done without anesthetics causes a small amount of bleeding and slight to potentially significant pain.
You could be the proud owner of a new tattoo in a matter of hours but don’t let the ease of getting tattoos stop you from making a thoughtful decision about permanent body art. Before you get a tattoo, make sure you know what’s involved. Also, be certain that tattooing is the right decision for you.
Tattooing as an art form has been used for centuries by tribal societies in religious rites and as a natural part of life. At first banned and then appropriated by Western culture, tattoos have recently developed as a decorative art of self-expression used by some to celebrate events, memorialise a departed loved one, or as a show of commitment to a life partner. There is one thing for sure: all tattoos have a story. What’s not so clear is exactly what we’re injecting into our skin for art’s sake. Interestingly, a frighteningly growing number of teens and young adults around the world are injecting dangerous chemicals under their skin in the name of art and self-expression.
Without full disclosure of ingredients, it is impossible to know for sure what is in tattoo ink. Many of today’s tattoos contain an unknown conglomeration of metallic salts (oxides, sulphides, selenides), organic dyes or plastics suspended in a carrier solution for consistency of application. Many of the chemicals found were originally intended for use in writing and printer inks, as well as automobile paints. These inks are injected so deep into the skin that, often, tattoos will not even be destroyed by severe burns.
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