Tattoo side effects and how to prevent them

Tattoos are a great way to express your feelings and to keep memories forever. Although tattoos look beautiful on the skin, they can still, in some cases, have negative effects. Therefore we want to inform you about the possible tattoo side effects, tattoo dangers and how to prevent them. We have also made a tattoo pros and cons list, just for you.

Spontaneous tattoos with friends are a great way to create memories of the moments you had with them- but don’t let that distract you from the possible tattoo side effects. Before you decide to get one, look at the tattoo dangers that we are going to present to you in this blogpost.

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Know the risks before the experience

A tattoo machine is like a less aggressive sewing machine, that punctures the skin leaving a pigment in it. Because of that, there are possible tattoo dangers, which aren’t very common, of getting an infection and complications on the tattoo for example:

Allergic reactions can develop:

The original recipe for tattoo ink was made of pine bark, corroded bronze mixed with vinegar, insect eggs and vitriol. That’s doesn’t sound  nice to have in your skin. But nowadays it contains modern industrial metallic salts (eg oxides, selenides, sulphides), vegetable based pigments and plastic based pigments, much safer than it was before. The tattoo ink also gets thoroughly tested before being sent out to tattoo artists around the world.  Especially red, green, yellow and blue dyes can cause allergic skin reactions, e.g. an itchy rash at the tattoo. So make sure that you’re not allergic to any of these ingredients!

Your tattoo can hide skin disorders: 

Before you get a tattoo, please take a good look at your skin. You might notice a bump or birthmark-looking spot. If you do, please get it checked out by a doctor before you get a tattoo on it. Although unlikely, this bump or birthmark might be an early form of skin cancer and if you get it tattooed, you will unintentionally cover it up.

Bloodline diseases: 

Properly sanitized equipment is a must have while getting any tattoo, if the equipment used isn’t properly sanitized, stop the process immediately! There is a risk of getting bloodline diseases like methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), hepatitis B and hepatitis C. So investigate the equipment to prevent possible tattoo side effects! But don’t worry, tattoo studios get thoroughly inspected by safety inspectors regularly. In addition, a full inspection of all equipment and tools is performed before the tattoo artist receives their license. We still recommend making sure that all the equipment used while getting your tattoo is properly sanitized.

Take a look at the safety and the hygiene at the studio: 

The appearance of the tattoo studio reveals a lot about the hygiene-standards of your artist. Ask yourself these questions before you get started:

• Is the artist a licensed professional and for how long have they been tattooing?
• Does my artist wear gloves?
• Do they use sterilized and new equipment?
• Is everything around me clean?

If you answer every question with “no” – We wouldn’t recommend you to get a tattoo there. We recommend having a conversation with your tattoo artist about possible allergic reactions and tattoo dangers and how to recognise them, especially if your skin gets irritated easily. Read more about the aftercare process of tattoos here! 

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5 pros and cons of a tattoo

Health:

• Pro: A tattoo boosts your immunity to diseases

• Con: There is a slight chance of getting an infection e.g. Hepatitis and HIV but only if the equipment is unsanitary and used. 

Ageing:

• Pro: A tattoo stays with you forever as a memory of something special

• Con: As you age, the tattoo moves because your skin gets more loose and the colour also fades over the years

Design:

• Pro: Variety of designs to choose from 

• Con: You might regret your chosen design, so think clearly about it

Interests:

• Pro: Your tattoo can lead you into some interesting conversations about it

• Con: For some people your tattoo can be offensive and in some countries you’re not even allowed to have one! Be careful where you want to travel!

Future job:

• Pro: Want to become a tattoo artist? Being covered up in tattoos is no problem! Don’t worry in other jobs a tattoo mostly won’t be a problem too.

• Con: Although uncommon, some job positions can be harder to be accepted into, if you have an excessive amount of tattoos e.g. police officers, as they shouldn’t have anything that might cause them to be recognised.

 

More interesting content 

Thank you for reading this blogpost. We hope, that you got to know more facts about tattoo side effects, tattoo dangers and tattoo pros and cons. Hopefully your next tattooing will be the best one you ever had with our tips! Let us know what design you got! Use our hashtag #NoPain

But make sure that you don’t forget to use our NoPain Numbing Cream before the treatment to prevent the pain.

Also the aftercare is one of the most important aspects of the tattoo process, read our other blogpost about the aftercare process of tattoos, to get a better understanding of how tattoos heal, and much more!

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