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Quotes Funny Thoughts Tattoos
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SAFE
TATTOOING Your first and foremost line of defense is to look at the tattoo studio itself. No matter how much effort the tattooist has to put in making the studio look cool and interesting, their primary focus should be on function of sterility. The front or waiting area, can be as hip and funky as it wants to be, but once you're in the area where the work is being done, there are several things to note. Just as in any medical working space, the counter materials should be made of materials which are non-absorbable and easily cleaned. The space where you are being tattooed should be well-lit. Items that have been sterilized should be kept in the "sanitary pack" and stored in sealed containers. Everything else should be wrapped in some king of protective covering. All surfaces you or your tattooist's skin come into contact with should be disinfected. The key concept here are "disposable" and "sterile". Anything that can be used once, only on you, then thrown away, should be used. From the markers used on your skin for placing or creating the design, to the caps that hold the pigments, everything should be one-use only. Sterilization should be given a with any tattooist, but it's important that they are not only sterilizing in the right manner, they must also keep sterile standards in the work-place. Before you agree to let anyone tattoo you, there are a few questions that you should ask.
An autoclave is a pressurized, steam-heated container, used for sterilization. All non-disposable equipment used in tattooing must be autoclave after each use. Any professional tattooist will make sure that all of the tool which have been autoclave for use on your tattoo are removed from their sterile packaging in front of you. Some tattooist may tell you that they use another method of sterilization, or that they autoclave all of their tools outside of the studio... if you choose to trust them, then you better be absolutely sure of their character and their knowledge of sterility. Bottom line: nothing but an autoclave, in the studio, is acceptable.
Just having and using an autoclave isn't enough. It must be periodically checked by sending spore samples out to a lab to make sure the autoclave is still killing bacteria within an acceptable level. Just like an elevator will have a posted sheet, noting the dates it was checked for its soundness, so should your tattooist have analysis record from a pathology lab.
All needles must be discarded after they're used on a client. THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS.
Not only the tattooist must wear gloves when working onyou, that person must make sure that they don't touch anything else when wearing those gloves. Once the gloves are on, they can't touch anything other than your skin or anything else that has been sterilized and set aside for specifically for use on you. Should the artist come in contact with anything else, they must put on a clean pair of gloves. It's absolutely normal for a tattooist to go through many pairs of latex gloves while working on someone.
Knowing how to properly sterilize, store and use all of the tools needed to tattoo is pretty complicated. Ant professional tattooist follows a set of guidelines, called "Universal Precautions", which are safety rules established by the medical community. Setting up the tattoo station with all of the disposable and sterilized items needed to tattoo, using paper towels and depressors to apply ointments or liquids and disposable razors to shave the area to be tattooed, as well as being careful not to contaminate anything - whether by touching something that is sterilized or gloved to something that is not - is called a "sterile chain of events". It is very important that your tattooist be familiar with these two concepts. Many towns now require tattooist to be licensed or certified by the local health department. Even in places where there is no governmental control on tattooing, conscientious tattooist will seek out training on their own. Make sure you ask what training the tattooist has received in this area.
Prior to the tattooing process, the tattooist should shave the area to be tattooed with disposable razor and clean it thoroughly with anti-bacterial soap or water. This will lessen the amount of germs which are normally found on your skin. A quick wipe with some alcohol is not a substitute for a good scrub-down with a strong anti-bacterial solution.
These are just a few basic rules to protect you in your tattoing experience. Remember, let your common sense be your guide. Don't get overwhelmed by the excitement of the moment - and especially, don't let any tattooist intimidate you or make you feel bad for asking questions. Any professional tattooist is proud of the precautions they take to protect you (and their) safety. If someone doesn't answer your question seriously, it may be that they have something to hide... Most tattooist are extremely conscientious and professional - to date, there are no known cases of two most deadly diseases, AIDS and Hepatitis C, traced on tattooing. Ultimately, though you are responsible for your own welfare in the tattoo experience.
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Does the tattoo studio have an on-premise autoclave?