Tattoo poisoning and Infections
Here is some information regarding tattoo infections and poisoning - see full article http://tattoos.lovetoknow.com/Tattoo_Infection
Types of Tattoo Infection
Skin Infections
Skin infections are relatively common after getting a tattoo. They can be caused by using unsterilized equipment and a lack of sterile conditions in the immediate tattoo environment. Skin infections can even be caused by the artist creating the tat if he/she doesn't take precautions with personal hygiene.More commonly, tattoo infections are caused by not diligently following aftercare instructions to keep the fresh site clean and moisturized during the healing process.
Typical signs of infection include:
Inflammation
Swelling
Localized tenderness
Pus/Bloody discharge
Fever
Pain radiating from the site more than 48 hours after the procedure
If you experience any of these symptoms with a fresh tattoo, a visit to the doctor is in short order. Most infections are easily treated with an antibiotic and resuming aftercare procedures. However, significant infections can result in blood poisoning if they are allowed to progress for too long.
Hepatitis C
According to a report by CNN, tattoo enthusiasts are nine times as likely to contract a hepatitis C infection, a deadly blood disease that attacks liver function. The disease is typically transferred from one person to another when proper sterile procedures aren't followed. This can include reusing needles between clients, and reusing inks. In fact, a study conducted by a researcher at UT Southwestern Medical Center and published in theJournal of American Medicine garnered some thought provoking results.
People with large tats were at higher risk for hepatitis C infection.
People whose designs included red, orange, yellow or white were more likely to have hepatitis C than people with plain black tattoos. The study doesn't confirm this, but the higher rate of infection is likely due to reusing or sharing ink caps.
There is no known cure for hepatitis C, and the disease can be fatal unless it goes into remission. Even then, stress and other illnesses can trigger its renewed attack on the liver, leading to eventual death.
HIV
HIV infections can lead to full blown AIDS, a deadly disease for which there is currently no known cure. The virus is mainly passed through improperly sterilized tools, but can also be transferred if an infectedartist accidentally prick his hand while working on a tat.
Protecting Yourself from Tattoo Infections
You can significantly lower your risk of getting a tattoo infection by doing a little research beforehand and thoroughly checking out both the shop and the artist you intend to use.
Familiarize yourself with basic sterile procedures to be followed when creating tattoos.
Take a look around the shop to make sure they have an autoclave and that they are using it.
Watch your artist to make sure he/she properly disinfects before donning plastic gloves and a surgical mask.
Insist your artist uses a brand new needle rather than one that has been run through an autoclave. Although a properly operated autoclave forces sterilizing steam through very tiny spaces, there's still a chance that a pocket of infection could survive in the hollow.
Follow all aftercare instructions to the letter.
Ingredients used in Tattoos
See full article - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tattoo_ink
Regulations
In the United States, tattoo inks are subject to regulation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as cosmetics and color additives.[2] The FDA and medical practitioners have noted that many ink pigments used in tattoos are “industrial strength colors suitable for printers’ ink or automobile paint.”[3][4]
In California, Proposition 65 requires that Californians be warned before exposure to certain harmful chemicals;[5] tattoo parlors in California must warn their patrons that tattoo inks contain heavy metals known to cause cancer, birth defects, and other reproductive harm.[5]
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Slightly inflamed tattoo.
Sharps bin for used needles.
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Pigment bases
Manufacturers are not required to reveal their ingredients or conduct trials, and recipes may be proprietary. Professional inks may be made from iron oxides (rust), metal salts, plastics.[6] Homemade or traditional tattoo inks may be made from pen ink, soot, dirt, blood,or other ingredients.[3][7]
Heavy metals used for colors include mercury (red); lead (yellow, green, white); cadmium (red, orange, yellow); nickel (black); zinc (yellow, white); chromium (green); cobalt (blue); aluminium (green, violet); titanium(white); copper (blue, green); iron (brown, red, black); and barium (white). Metal oxides used include ferrocyanide and ferricyanide (yellow, red, green, blue). Organic chemicals used include azo-chemicals (orange, brown, yellow, green, violet) and naptha-derived chemicals (red). Carbon (soot or ash) is also used for black. Other compounds used as pigments include antimony, arsenic, beryllium, calcium, lithium, selenium, andsulphur.[5][7]
Tattoo ink manufacturers typically blend the heavy metal pigments and/or use lightening agents (such as lead or titanium) to reduce production costs.[7]
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Carriers
A carrier acts as a solvent for the pigment, to “carry” the pigment from the point of needle trauma to the surrounding dermis. Carriers keep the ink evenly mixed and free from pathogens, and aid application. The most typical solvent is ethyl alcohol or water, but denatured alcohols, methanol, rubbing alcohol, propylene glycol, and glycerine are also used. When an alcohol is used as part of the carrier base in tattoo ink or to disinfect the skin before application of the tattoo, it increases the skin's permeability, helping to transport more chemicals into the bloodstream.
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Health concerns
Main article: Tattoo medical issues
A variety of medical problems, though uncommon, can result from tattooing.
Medical workers have observed rare but severe medical complications from tattoo pigments in the body,[8] and have noted that people acquiring tattoos rarely assess health risks prior to receiving their tattoos.[9]
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