Getting a Tattoo? Read These Tips from Dr. Oz before You Get Inked
Getting rid of a tattoo is a lot harder than getting one in the first place, while piercings can leave scars, so think carefully about who you want to see that fang-bearing dragon or ear gauge, and when. (Can you hide tell-tale signs for that job interview?) From YOU: The Owner's Manual for Teens: A Guide to a Healthy Body and Happy Life, by Michael F. Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet C. Oz, M.D.
Tattoos can have great stories behind them, for sure, but singer Jimmy Buffett perhaps described tattoos most accurately: "a permanent reminder of a temporary feeling."
If you're going to get one, you need to think carefully about where you have it put, and who you want to see it at what ages and stages in life. Remember, you may have bare arms, thighs, back, shoulders, whatever, at some time. Ideal sites for tattoos to be shared with only a privileged few include around your waist, hips, or upper cheeks - those on your backside, not on your face. That means you can hide them for that college interview, as opposed to tattoos emblazoned on your arms, chest, or ankle. Careful if it's in a foreign language: Does it really say what you want it to say? Are the letters backward, the way they would be if you looked at yourself in a mirror versus reading them on a page?
If you do get a tattoo, you need to make sure that the artist uses a new needle (watch him remove it from the sterile package), and pay more for new unopened ink, so that you don't get any blood-borne infections such as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C. Also, getting rid of a tattoo is a lot harder than getting one in the first place. It requires several expensive laser treatments, and sometimes even then you're left with a shadow. Laser bubble tattoo paints, which can be totally busted and removed with one laser treatment, are just coming on the market, so ask for them if you're not sure that you'll want to live with that Glee tattoo forever.
How about piercing?
Piercings are reversible; you can always take them out. But you may be stuck with a scar, or keloid (pronounced kee-loyd); that's when you get thick scar tissue around the site. Darker skin may be more at risk for developing keloids, which can be difficult to remove. So be careful where you pierce. A scar near your belly button may end up just looking like a smile or a frown, but keloids can be a bummer, especially if they're on your nostril or along your eyebrow line. Make sure that the person doing the piercing uses a new needle for the safety reasons we mentioned above. Warning: The not-so-visible piercing sites may hurt, because those nerve endings are designed to be fairly sensitive, as opposed to earlobes, which have fewer sensory fibers.
Are you thinking about getting a tattoo this summer?
Related Links:
