Tattoos today have taken over a greater part of the entertainment industry, many entertainers today such as musicians, actors, actresses and even OAPS now picture tattoo as personal trademarks. Though so many people today get their body marked and designed in various forms but they rarely considers the dangers and health implications of this act. In this article I am going to be guiding a whole lot of my interested blog readers about the dangers of tattoos and why they should try their possible best to stay away from it for as long as forever. Note that in this post I am not trying to criticize those who already have tattoos on them I will only be pointing out a few medical implications that could possibly emerge from the drawing of tattoo’s and I am also going to point out causes of this health implications, signs and symptoms, diagnosis and probably treatment.
I know you are anxious on knowing what tattoos can do to you in the nearest future, but just before I jump into that permit me to give you a professional but very brief definition of tattoos.
According to Volcabulary.com:
“A tattoo is a permanent design made on skin with a needle and ink. If you want a butterfly tattoo but you’re scared of needles, you might settle for a temporary version. The word tattoo is also a verb meaning stain the skin using needles and ink. It’s probably a good idea to wait until you’ve been dating someone for more than a week before you tattoo their name on your arm. In music, a tattoo is continuous drumming, and a military tattoo is a drum or bugle that signals soldiers to return to their quarters at the end of the day.”
Now that you have known the definition of tattoos I suggest we take a quick look at the origin and history of tattoos below:
SUMMARIZED HISTORY OF TATOO’S (source: Designboom.com)
“the word tattoo is said to has two major derivations- from the Polynesian word ‘ta’ which means striking something and the Tahitian word ‘tatau’ which means ‘to mark something’. The history of tattoo began over 5000 years ago and is as diverse as the people who wear them. Tattoos are created by inserting colored materials beneath the skins surface. The first tattoos probably were created by accident. Someone had a small wound, and rubbed it with a hand that was dirty with soot and ashes from the fire. Once the wound had healed, they saw that a mark stayed permanently. despite the social sciences’ growing fascination with tattooing, and the immense popularity of tattoos themselves, the practice has not left much of a historical record.” (Source: Designboom.com)
TYPES OF TATOOS:
There more than six different types of tattoos but I am going to limit todays explanation to only the three most popular ones i.e. tattoos that we can easily find around us.
Black and Grey Tattoos:
Black and Gray are tattoos that are done making use of certain degrees of black and grey shades. In black and grey tattoos there is usually no application of color, better still a small amount of color can be added to enhance areas of the design but this solely depends on the type of design. This type of tattoo is particularly suited to darker skin tone, which does not accept color well, and also to those who are regular sun-worshippers or solarium addicts. Time tends to soften the tones of the piece and give it a realistic depth quality. (Source: uniqueinktattoo.com)
COLOR TATOOS:
Color tattoos are full color pieces lined with black and also shaded. I am going to classify color design into two basic groups:-.
Group 1: Old style traditional tattoos, this style can be carried out using block color and no tones.
Group 2: in this group color shading is used to obtain perfect subtle color merging.
Note: “Color tends to fade if subjected to intense or long-term regular sun exposure as the skin cells, which hold the pigment molecules are damaged by u-v rays and removed by the body system. It can be retouched if necessary and without much sun exposure looks good for many years. All colors are dermatological tested pigments, but those with known allergies should request an allergy test prior to the application of a color tattoo” (source: uniqueinktattoo.com).
POTRAIT AND FINE-LINE TATOOS:
Portraits can be taken directly from photos, which should be of good quality and large enough to clearly see the details of the face or animal in question. There is a minimum recommended size for this kind of work while Fine-line is exactly what you would expect from the description and is mostly used for portrait work. It can be used for high detail and definition in larger pieces. (uniqueinktattoo.com)
Other types of tattoos may include: Tribal Tattoos, Freehand Custom Tattoos, Cover-up, Touch-up, and Rework Tattoos.
EQUIPMENTS USED IN TATOO DRAWING:
Stencil: A stencil is a design that is made using a special ink before needle is taken to the skin. The stencil allows the inked outline of the design to be transferred to the skin so it can be traced by the artist. It enables the artist draw quickly and accurately.
Ink: Tattoo supply houses sell special inks that are used to create tattoos. They are available in a variety of colors and are typically packaged in 4 oz plastic squeeze bottles so they are easily dispensed. These inks are liquid dispersions of pigments that, in the United States, are approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The ink consists of dyes derived from metal components. For this reason, there might be possible allergic reactions to the type of ink used.
Tattoo Machine: The machine consists of a hand held needle gun connected to a power unit that provides pressure to move the needles. The needles may be of different sizes and shapes and are bundled together on a needle bar in different patterns depending on the requirements of the artwork. The unit is attached to a power supply that is activated by depressing a foot pedal on the floor beside the work station. When the pedal is depressed the tattoo needle bar moves up and down very quickly like the needle on a tiny sewing machine. It penetrates the skin to inject the dye 3,000 times per minute. (Source: madehow.com)
MEDICAL IMPLICATIONS OF TATTOO DRAWING:
1. Infections: tattoo drawing needle often come in contact with blood fluids that might leave individuals at a high risk of being infected if equipment used in the drawing is not sterilized and probably if needles are used for more than one person. Example of infections that can be transmitted from the drawing of tattoo using unsterilized instruments include Hepatitis B, HIV, Hepatitis C, and Tuberculosis.
Reactions To Inks: Perhaps due to the mechanism whereby the skin’s immune system encapsulates pigment particles in fibrous tissue, tattoo inks have been described as “remarkably nonreactive histologically”. However, some allergic reactions have been medically documented. No estimate of the overall incidence of allergic reactions to tattoo pigments exists.[9] Allergies to latex are apparently more common than to inks; many artists will use non-latex gloves when requested. Allergic reactions to tattoo pigments, while uncommon, are most often seen with red, yellow, and occasionally white. Reactions can be triggered by exposure to sunlight. People who are sensitive or allergic to certain metals may react to pigments in the skin with swelling and/or itching, and/or oozing of clear fluid called serum. Such reactions are quite rare, however, and some artists will recommend performing a test patch. Because the mercury and Azo-chemicals in red dyes are more commonly allergenic than other pigments, allergic reactions are most often seen in red tattoos. Less frequent allergic reactions to black, purple, and green pigments have also been noted. (Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tattoo_medical_issues)
Skin Diseases: drawing of tattoos can lead to raised areas of skin caused by an overgrowth of scar tissue, a condition known as “keloids“. Bumps may also form around tattoo ink and this bumps are called “granulomas”.
Other medical implications of tattoo drawing may also include the following:-
· MRI complications
· Dermal conditions
· Haematoma
· Burden on lymphatic system
· Effects of blood thinners
REFERENCES:
agbonaija.com 