Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Tips To Help Prevent Tattoo and Piercing Infection

By Amanda Davis

An important lesson in avoiding a tattoo and body piercing infection is to not get one in the first place! However, there are some simple things you can do to avoid these infections.

A greater risk in getting an infection is from body piercing because this method invades the layers of the skin such as epidermis and dermis. Because of this, to prevent the infection you need to be extremely careful. Your professional piercer or tattoo artist must use a cream and a well maintained work area.

Body piercings tend to get infected if they are botched. So make sure you go to a reputable piercer who can provide you with sterile needles and materials. This is the number one preventative step you can take.

Tattooing has a low risk in getting an infection due to the way they are given. The tattoo ink is introduced into the dermis, an upper layer of the skin. Bleeding may occur but this is normal. Tattoo needles are shallow and hold low risk of infection.

Make sure your tattoo artist is reputable and uses sterile equipment. Most experienced artists have their own autoclave to sterilize their own equipment. The main risk of infection with a tattoo is hepatitis C from using a dirty needle.

Some signs of infection might be inflammation, cloudy seepage, greenish scabbing, redness and tenderness of the site. There may also be signs of an allergic reaction such as swelling, redness and itching of the area. You should alert your piercer or tattoo artist to any allergies to any products they may be using such as latex. Even an allergy to inks can cause such reactions.

Although most piercings and tattoos are painful to begin with, this pain should subside within a few days to a week. If yours shows no sign of healing, you should contact your piercer or tattooist and let them look at it. In many cases they can tell you what you need to do to clear up any minor infection.

Lastly, if you get an infection that is not a normal skin irritation you must get help of a physician. You may need to take antibiotics to get rid your body of the infection. Many times this can be cured without losing the piercing and without damaging your tattoo. - 23802

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