Black, symbolic, colorful or to remember important moments.
Tattoos can be a stylish personal brand, a piece of art on your body.
However, there are several points to consider when getting one.
BBC Mundo explains them to you.
1. Know what a tattoo is and be 120% sure you want to have one
A tattoo is a permanent mark on the skin, made with ink or pigments.
For thousands of years people have gotten tattoos as a cultural expression of belonging, individualism or rebellion. Others, such as criminals and slaves, were “marked” with tattoo shops.
Currently about 15% of the world’s population has a tattoo, according to figures from the European Society for Tattoo and Pigment Research (ESTPR). The figure doubles in those under 35 years of age.
There is also an increasing trend among women and adolescents, although in many countries it is illegal to get a tattoo before the age of 18.
You have to remember that it will stay there forever. Beyond what you do, what you wear or how your body changes.
Being completely sure you want one is essential. Also, know what tattoo, what size and exactly what part of the body .
A good tattoo artist is one who listens and answers all your questions before starting the work.
2. Prepare to “suffer”
A tattoo artist inserts ink into the skin using needles or an electric machine.
The needles penetrate the skin 80 to 150 times per second.
And hurts. How much? It depends on your pain tolerance. Some find it very painful, others simply annoying or irritating.
A good description is that it feels like an intense scrape of skin.
3. Choose the place and the artist carefully
Today the variety of tattoo styles is immense and the same goes for those who dedicate themselves to this art.
So, the first thing after deciding what type of tattoo you want – a tribal only in black is not the same as cartoon-style flowers with bright colors – is to investigate which artist is dedicated to that technique.
” Red ink is the one that causes the most allergies. It is recommended to avoid red colors and their derivatives, such as orange, violet, red wine and others that contain a mixture of pigments that include red,” says the ESTPR.
The more ink used, the greater the risk of allergy or rejection.
4. Cheap is expensive
A tattoo, in the end, is a good acquired through a commercial transaction. Which will also use your own body as a base and will probably accompany you throughout your life.
So asking to inspect the place where you will do it is no exaggeration.
Make sure you know the artist’s full name, that they work in a well-known place, with high hygiene standards, where needles and gloves are used only once.
The tattoo artist must have experience and not be an amateur. Would you hand over the care of your liver or heart to an “amateur artist” to save a few pennies? Well, skin is no exception.
The ESTPR warns never to get, for example, tattoos at a party or festivals. Also avoid getting one abroad, especially where the incidence of penicillin-resistant staphylococcus (MRSA) is high.
Another factor to take into account is that the ink bottles used for the tattoo are completely new and clean and that they are from a recognized manufacturer.
At a minimum, the name and identity of the manufacturer should be printed on the bottle, which should also have some type of ingredient declaration. THE ESTPR recommends “not being tattooed with low-priced ink, called ‘Indian ink’, or copies of brand-name ink.”
Sometimes it is necessary to dilute the ink with water. In this case, the ESTPR recommends sterile water, which is easy to find in pharmacies. It is best to bring it. Distilled water is not always sterile. And a warning: “never use tap water.”
And most importantly: trust your instincts. Does the place look clean? Hygienic? Was the tattoo artist open and willing to answer your questions or rather annoyed and uncomfortable?
5. Be aware of the risks. And avoid them.
Tattoos are needles in your skin, so the greatest risk comes from the use of contaminated needles that can give you diseases as complex as HIV or hepatitis.
Professional tattoo artists use sterile equipment and new (disposable) needles with each client.
Another risk is developing an allergic reaction to the pigment used. This does not necessarily happen right away, but can take days to develop and range from a small reddish rash to an open wound that becomes infected.
In addition, the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) warns that it is not good to tattoo on skin with moles , since this will prevent important changes from being noticed.
This is especially important for people “who have multiple moles or dysplastic nevi (atypical moles), since they are at greater risk of developing melanoma in one of those moles ,” says Dr. Ariel Ostard, dermatologist and professor at the School of Medicine of New York University in his Skin Cancer Foundation column.
Melanomas are “the deadliest form of skin cancer,” but are highly treatable if diagnosed early, says the AAD.
6. Invest time in your care
If the tattooed skin feels dry, it is good to apply a neutral and hypoallergenic lotion, based on water or cream. Contrary to popular belief, Vaseline is not recommended as it can cause the ink to smear or cause an allergic reaction.
It is also very important, according to the ADD, to protect the tattooed area from the sun, either by avoiding it, covering up or using a sunscreen with factor 30 or higher.
In addition to leaving the tattooed skin vulnerable – like a minor burn – ultraviolet light can erase parts of the tattoo.