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Are You Considering Body Art?  

Tattoos and piercings have been around for centuries. Many cultures have inked and pierced their bodies as a sign of importance in the group or mainly for aesthetic purposes. Today many people get body art as a form of self-expression. Getting your first tattoo or piercing may be a rite of passage, either to capture something that is of significance to you, or because you know your parents would not approve of it. Before you just go to any tattoo or piercing parlor and sit down in a chair, there are some things that you should consider. Be picky about the studio and the artist. When you are checking out the studio, make sure you take a look at these things: is the studio an established business? Is the entire studio clean? Are the instruments and equipment properly sterilized? Does the artist always use sterile disposable needles? Does the artist always wear medical-grade latex gloves? Does the artist wear new gloves for each client? According to safepiercing.org, there are other considerations you should take, especially for piercings. For instance are there any health problems you may have that will keep you from getting a piercing? Safepiercing.org states that “piercers can politely turn someone away if the piercing poses to be dangerous, ill suited, unsuccessful, or for which they are not trained.” As stated by safepiercing.org, there are some health considerations that may need a second opinion from a physician, such as:

* Diabetes, hemophilia, auto-immune disorder, or other medical condition(s) that may negatively influence the piercing procedure or the healing process

* An obvious skin or tissue abnormality that may include but is not limited to rashes, lumps, bumps, scars, lesions, moles, freckles, and/or abrasions

* The client requests you pierce irregular or surgically-altered tissue, or the client is unsuited due to occupational, recreational, or environmental factors

* Piercings considered, by the piercer, to have little or no chance of healing

* The client has impending plans to become pregnant and wishes to get a nipple, navel, or other piercing

* It is also advisable to refrain from piercing during pregnancy to allow the body to focus on the important, complex, and demanding task that it is handling already.