From a distance, he could hear the loud noise of people reveling—eating, drinking and dancing. But revelry in a quiet neighborhood on a Monday afternoon sounds unusual. Curious, the desire to unravel the mystery became overarching. But there was a problem; at the entrance were three well-built young men. They were not armed; but their bulging biceps and the numbers game were clearly not in his favor considering his willowy frame. So he stepped back just in time to notice that cultishly tattooed on the upper left arm—partly concealed, of both the sentries and every other person around, was a griffon. He beat a hasty retreat.
Different folks get tattooed for different reasons; while some tattoos serves the purpose of identification, some others are artistic or cosmetic—tattoos are sometimes used as lasting make-up as it is used as eye and lip liner, lipstick, blush, eyebrows, or even fake hair. Tattoos are also commonly used for making fashion statement or in honor of loved ones. Finally, people also get inked for medical reasons, for profit as some bear the logo of business organizations, and in some cultures, tattoos are believed to have magical abilities to protect the bearers.
But none of these reasons intrigued me more than the one I learned from the U.K based Independent newspaper publication. What some folks do when they are in love never ceases to amuse me—they could actually undergo the needle without recourse to what happens if the relationship goes awry. According to the report, “Alan Jenkins, a steelworker, recently revealed that he had undergone 20 hours at his local tattoo parlor and spent £870 on having a life-size portrait of his girlfriend's face etched into his back. However, soon after, Lisa Crooks left him for a colleague. But despite the pain and humiliation of both the tattoo and being dumped, Alan is refusing to have it removed by laser, the most popular method of erasing tattoos.”
Now most people would think Alan Jenkins should have learned his lesson and might not be in great haste next time to visit the tattoo parlor—but not Jenkins. Hear what he told the reporter: “I’ve got some room on my chest if I get hooked up with someone again." Clearly, we all do not see romance from the same perspective; or do we?
When I wanted to find out the process of tattooing, I visited a local tattoo parlor on a sight-seeing mission. It dawned on me that not many tattooists in Nigeria-and probably in many countries in Africa, operate in a hygienic environment or have operating license. Yet the process involves the use of use an electrically powered tattoo machine fitted with a needle that moves up and down many times per minute, and then punctures the skin and deposits ink with each puncture. The ink, according to experts, are actually deposited in the second layer of the skin called the dermis—the dermal cells are more stable and fading of ink is minimized so tattoos last longer.
Before you choose to get inked, know that regardless of the type, any tattoo involves health risks—especially amateur tattoos—where unsterilized tattoo equipment or contaminated ink could be used and permanent tattoos which involves puncturing the skin and having contact with blood and body fluids. According to MayoClinic, the very dangerous infections are HIV and hepatitis C, from unclean needles. Others are Staph infections such as MRSA (Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) or impetigo or a deep skin infection called cellulitis.
That is not all; Suzanne Kilmer, writes (on emedicine.com) that histologists—experts on the microscopic study of tissues, have described tattoo inks as “nonreactive,” but that is when it’s pure. Sadly, impure ink that has mold or bacteria constitutes another danger leading to problems with the eyes, lungs, and other organs. There is more; though not in all cases, some people do manifest allergic reaction called metal allergy perhaps due to the presence of nickel in tattoo ink.
Yet, there is an extreme case of allergy from Scandinavia where color of ink used seems to make a whole lot of difference. Caution: colors such as red, purple, pink and orange have been shown to cause more problem than other colors. Some experts at a certain Danish TV program called "My body to the dismay of others," told the sad story of a young man who got tattooed at a young age “but experienced an infection years later originating in the red portions of the tattoos, resulting in his left leg being amputated piece by piece.” Danish experts advises that if any problem arises, then remove the red parts.
The full text is on:
http://zemellive.com/health-risks-allergies-should-you-get-a-tattoo/