Standards of Practice for Tattooing and Body Piercing Health

Info

Health risks

Modern tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul) artist's latex gloves and sterilized equipment.

Because it requires breaking the skin barrier, tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul)ing may carry health risks, including infection and allergic reactions. In the United States, for example, a person who receives a tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul) will generally be prohibited from donating blood for 12 months (FDA 2000), unless the procedure was done in a state-regulated and licensed studio, using sterile technique (Red Cross,2006). Most studios that are eligible can provide vouchers.

Modern western tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul)ers reduce such risks by following universal precautions, working with single-use items, and sterilizing their equipment after each use. Many jurisdictions require that tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul)ists have bloodborne pathogen training, such as is provided through the Red Cross and OSHA.

Infection

Since tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul) instruments come in contact with blood and bodily fluids, diseases may be transmitted if the instruments are used on more than one person without being sterilized. However, infection from tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul)ing in clean and modern tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul) studios employing single-use needles is rare. In amateur tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul)s, such as those applied in prisons, however, there is an elevated risk of infection. To address this problem, a program was introduced in Canada as of the summer of 2005 that provides legal tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul)ing in prisons, both to reduce health risks and to provide inmates with a marketable skill. Inmates were to be trained to staff and operate the tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul) parlors once six of them open successfully.

Infections that could be transmitted via the use of unsterilized tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul) equipment include surface infections of the skin, herpes simplex virus, tetanus, staph, fungal infections, some forms of hepatitis, and HIV. No person in the United States is reported to have contracted HIV via a commercially-applied tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul)ing process. Washington state's OSHA studies have suggested that since the needles used in tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul)ing are not hollow, in the case of a needle stick injury the amount of fluids transmitted may be small enough that HIV would be difficult to transmit. Tetanus risk is prevented by having an up-to-date tetanus booster prior to being tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul)ed. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that no data exist in the United States indicating that persons with exposures to tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul)ing alone are at increased risk for HCV infection. In 2006, the CDC reported 3 clusters with 44 cases of methicillin-resistant staph infection traced to unlicensed tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul)ists (MMWR 55(24)). One should not consume alcohol directly before or after getting a tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul). Not only does it weaken the body’s ability to deal with physical stress, alcohol thins the blood, causing more bleeding during the procedure.

Allergic reactions

Allergic reactions to tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul) pigments are uncommon except for certain brands of red and green. People who are sensitive or allergic to certain metals may react to pigments in the skin with swelling and/or itching, and/or oozing of clear fluid called sebum. Such reactions are quite rare, however, and some artists will recommend performing a test patch.

For those who are allergic to latex, many artists are using non-latex or will use non-latex gloves if asked.

There is also a small risk of anaphylactic shock (hypersensitive reaction) in those who are susceptible, but the chance of a health risk is small.

tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul) Inks

Although the FDA technically requires premarket approval of inks; because of limited resources, it has not actually approved the use of any ink for tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul)s. As of 2004 they do perform studies to determine if the contents are possibly dangerous, and follow up with legal action if they find them to have disallowed contents including traces of heavy metals or other carcinogenic materials (see CA lawsuit). The first known study to characterize the composition of these inks was started in 2005 at Northern Arizona University (Finley-Jones and Wagner). The FDA expects local authorities to legislate and test tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul) inks and inks made for the use of permanent cosmetics. In California, the state prohibits certain ingredients and pursues companies who fail to notify the consumer of the contents of tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul) inks. Recently, the state of California sued nine ink manufacturers, requiring them to more adequately label their products.

Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS plastic) ground down to an average diameter of slightly less than 1 micron is used as the colorant in some tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul) inks. The tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul) inks that use ABS result in very vivid tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul)s which is the most obvious indicator that the ink contains ABS, as tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul) inks that contain ABS rarely if ever list their ingredients.

There has been concern expressed about the interaction between magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) procedures and tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul) inks, some of which contain trace metals. Allegedly, the magnetic fields produced by MRI machines could interact with these metal particles, potentially causing burns or distortions in the image. The television show MythBusters tested the theory, and found no interaction between tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul) inks and MRI.

However, research by Shellock and Crues reports adverse reactions to MRI and tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul)s in a very small number of cases. Wagle and Smith also documented an isolated case of tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul)-Induced Skin Burn During MR Imaging. The person in the case had a dark, concentrated, loop-shaped tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul), which the authors speculate could have acted as an RF (radio frequency) pick-up; they also note that this is the first such case they encountered in "thousands of MRI studies". Ratnapalan et al. report another case where an MRI could not be completed due to the patient's extensive tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul)s. According to the American Chemical society, home-made tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul)s, in which metallic inks have been used in larger quantities, cause these reactions.

Temporary tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul)s

Temporary tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul)s are not true tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul)s, rather, they are a type of body sticker, similar to a decal. They are generally applied to the skin using water to temporarily transfer the design to the surface of the skin. Temporary tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul)s are waterproof, but can be removed with oil-based creams, and are intended to last only a few days.

Magician Penn Jillette (of Penn & Teller fame) writes in his book "Penn & Teller's How to Play in Traffic" that he had a special tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul) made on his arm that used no pigment (The tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul) machine was run without ink). Penn states that the tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul) left a red scar that had a discernable pattern, but would heal to near invisibility after five or six years.

Other forms of temporary "tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul)s" are henna tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul)s, also known as Mehndi, and the marks made by the stains of silver nitrate on the skin when exposed to ultraviolet light. Both methods, silver nitrate and henna, can take up to two weeks to fade from the skin.

Airbrush tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul)s are another popular form of temporary tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul)s. This process involves using a stencil design and spraying paint through the stencil onto the skin. This form of tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul) lasts approximately a week and is said to be the more realistic type available today.

The original form of temporary tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul)s, usually found in bubble gum, were an ink transfer that often made the image look blurry and would come off with water contact. Today's temporary tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul)s use vegetable dyes and a layer of glue similar to what is found in a Band-Aid. These tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul)s can look extremely realistic and last up to 3 weeks.

Forensics

tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul)s are sometimes used by forensic pathologists to help them identify burned, putrefied, or mutilated bodies. tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul) pigment is deep enough in the skin that even severe burns will often not destroy a tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul).

Notes

1.Deb Acord "Who knew: Mommy has a tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul)", Maine Sunday Telegram Nov. 19, 2006

2.Oregon state health dept. - http://www.oregon.gov/OHLA/links.shtml

References

Anthropological

Comparative study about Ötzi's therapeutic tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul)s (L. Renaut, 2004, French and English abstract)
Fisher, Jill A. 2002. tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul)ing the Body, Marking Culture. Body & Society 8 (4): 91-107.
PhD Thesis on body-marking in Antiquity (L. Renaut, 2004, French and English abstract)
Marked for Life: Jews and tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul)s (Shaun Raviv, June 2006, Moment Magazine).

Buckland, A. W.: „On tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul)ing", in Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, 1887/12, p. 318-328.
Caplan, Jane ed.: Written on the Body: The tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul) in European and American History, Princeton 2000.
DeMello, Margo: Bodies of Inscription: A Cultural History of the Modern tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul) Community, California – Duke University Press 2000.
Gell, Alfred: Wrapping in Images: tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul)ing in Polynesia, Oxford – Clarendon Press 1993.
Gilbert, Stephen G.: tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul) History. A Source Book, New York – Juno Books 2001.
Gustafson, Mark: „Inscripta in fronte - Penal tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul)ing in Late Antiquity", in Classical Antiquity, April 1997, Vol. 16/No. 1, p. 79-105.
Hambly, Wilfrid Dyson: The History of tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul)ing and Its Significance: With Some Account of Other Forms of Corporal Marking, London - H. F.& G. Witherby 1925 (Detroit 1974).
Jelski, Andrzej: Tatuaz, Warszawa – Wydawnictwo Alfa 1993 (Polish).
Joest, Wilhelm: Tätowiren, Narbenzeichnen und Körperbemalen: Ein Beitrage zur vergleichenden Ethnologie, Leipzig/Berlin 1887 (German).
Jones, C. P.: „Stigma: tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul)ing and Branding in Graeco-Roman Antiquity", in Journal of Roman Studies, 77/1987, s. 139-155.
Keimer, Ludwig: Remarques sur le Tatouage dans l´Egypte ancienne, Le Caire – Imprimerie de L´Institut Francais D´Archéologie orientale 1948 (French).
Lombroso, Cesare: „The Savage Origin of tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul)ing", in Popular Science Monthly, Vol. IV., 1896.
Rubin, Arnold ed.: Marks of Civilization. Artistic Transformations of the Human Body, Los Angeles – UCLA Museum of Cultural History 1988.
Rychlík, Martin: Tetování, skarifikace a jiné zdobení tela, Prague - NLN 2005 (Czech).
Sanders, Clinton R.: Customizing the Body. The Art and Culture of tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul)ing, Philadelphia – Temple University Press 1989.
Sinclair, A.T.: „tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul)ing of the North American Indians", in American Anthropologist 1909/11, No. 3, p. 362-400.

Popular and artistic

Harris Interactive. A Third of Americans With tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul)s Say They Make Them Feel More Sexy. The Harris Poll #58, October 8, 2003. Retrieved on August 22, 2006.
Ink: The Not-Just-Skin-Deep Guide to Getting a tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul) Terisa Green, ISBN 0-451-21514-1
The tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul) Encyclopedia: A Guide to Choosing Your tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul) Terisa Green, ISBN 0-7432-2329-2
Total tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul) Book Amy Krakow, ISBN 0-446-67001-4

Medical

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC's Position on tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul)ing and HCV Infection. Retrieved on June 12, 2006.
United States Food and Drug Administration. tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul)s and Permanent Makeup. CFSAN/Office of Cosmetics and Colors (2000; updated [2004, 2006]). Retrieved on June 12, 2006.
Haley Finley-Jones, Leslie D. Wagner, and Jani C. Ingram. In the flesh: Chemical characterization of tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul) inks. Northern Arizona University. Retrieved on June 13, 2006 ].
Haley R.W. and Fischer R.P., Commercial tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul)ing as a potential source of hepatitis C infection, Medicine, March 2000;80:134-151
Mayo Clinic. tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul)s and piercings: What to know beforehand. Mayo Clinc.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Skin Infections Among tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul) Recipients --- Ohio, Kentucky, and Vermont, 2004--2005. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 55(24);677-679. Retrieved on June 23, 2006.
MR Safety and the American College of Radiology Shellock, F.G. and Crues, J.V. American Journal of Roentgenology White Paper
tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul)-Induced Skin Burn During MR Imaging Wagle, W.A. and Smith, M. American Journal of Roentgenology: Article
Articles on tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul).com, CA lawsuit[3]
Article listing inks which may react to MRI[4]
American Chemical Society study[5]
Washington state OSHA information about HIV in body fluids [6]
NIH report on Q-switch and ruby laser removal methods [7]
Red Cross Donation Guidelines for recent tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul)s, 2006[8]

Other references

Investigation of pigments in tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul) colours Survey no. 2, 2002, Danish Environmental Protection Agency:
Canada to open prison tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul) parlors May 4, 2004, CNN.com
tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul) FAQ November 22, 2006, Article Dashboard

THE TATTOOED BODY

By putting colour into rather than on top of the skin, permanent markings can be created. Like body painting, this was probably also a chance discovery, the result of soot or clay getting into an open cut. Thorns or splinters of wood, bone, flint or shell could be used to puncture the skin to create deliberate permanent marks. More elaborately, a number of such sharp objects could be bound together and attached to a single wood or bone implement. Especially in the South Pacific, such clusters of sharp points were attached at a right angle to a stick, which could then be struck by another stick to drive the points into the skin. Distinctive tattooing technologies evolved among the Maori of New Zealand (their famous rrwko facial tattoos achieved by putting carbon pigment within scars chiselled into the flesh) and among Inuit populations where a needle and thread (smeared with soot) were drawn through the skin horizontal to the surface. As in Japan and many other cultures, tattooing in the West was traditionally done with straight needles of varying thickness and configuration, which were prodded under the skin. Except for an ever-expanding palette of colours, the only significant development in tattoo technology came in 1891 when Samuel O'Reilly patented the first electric tattooing machine in New York. (As the early 20th-century British tat-tooist George Burchett points out in his autobiography, there is an interesting irony in the fact that 'Tattooing, the most ancient of all beauty treatments, was the very first to make use of electricity.') But long before O'Reilly's 'tattaugraph', an extremely wide range of cultures throughout the world - from the Ukraine to Japan, Alaska to the South Pacific -had developed extraordinarily complex and graphically striking tattoo styles. The range, grace and complexity of so many of these styles obliges us to accord tattooing the status of one of humankind's most sophisticated artistic genres. Thatthis art form uses the living human body as its canvas underlines rather than detracts from its aesthetic accomplishments -for this is a genre that offers scant latitude for mistakes. How many of our great masterpieces of 'fine art' required the rethinking and adjustment that are unavailable to the tattoo artist?

As well as a formidable aesthetic achievement, the tattooed body demands respect as a system of communication. Arguably the most informative of all forms of body art, the symbolic functions of tattooing are particularly important in societies that lack written language - its images, pictographs, abstract design motifs, colours and positioning on the body (itself a primal symbol: the 'social body') providing a crucial databank of the knowledge, beliefs, values and history of so many traditional cultures. Additionally, the contrasting tattoo styles of particular individuals within a group often articulate and underline differences in role and status - immediately identifying the chief, those who have shown courage in battle or prowess in the hunt as well as who is (and who is not) a fully fledged adult member of the tribe.

Possessing written language does not. however, eradicate the significance of tattoo design as a valuable medium of expression. Many modern 'tribes' -Bikers, Skinheads, Punks, Mexican-American Chicanos and countless street gangs -have used tattoos both to mark the members of their group and also to articulate the world view of their subculture symbolically. However, in today's world, it is the language of personal, individual identity - rather than the language of social commitment and shared values - that the tattoo is most often called upon to express. Permanent andoften painful, the tattoo introduces amore radical approach to transforming appearance than those previously discussed. Western society went through along period of resistance to all such permanent decorations but in recent times this very quality, this challenge to transience, has contributed to the ever-growing appeal of both tattooing and body piercing. In much the same way, the pain and bloodletting inherent in the tattooing process - once seen as the crucial proof of its barbarism - has also recently become, for many, part of this adornment's appeal: an act that demands such a level of commitment and courage being seen as uniquely valuable in a world where valuehas arguably lost all meaning exceptthat of price.

When Captain James Cook 'discovered' Polynesia for the British in 1769, from a Western perspective he appeared to have discovered tattooing as well. Indeed, the English word for this technique of body decoration (and that of most European languages) derives from the Tahitian word tatu or tatau (to mark or strike the skin), which mimics the sound of one stick striking another to puncture the skin - the Tahitian technique of tattooing. Ironically, however, Europe has as much if not more historical claim to the invention of tattooing as does Polynesia. Perhaps people in the West in the 18th century had long forgotten the original meaning of previously used European terms for tattooing such as 'listing', 'rasing', 'packing', 'pinking' and 'pouncing'. Perhaps they had come to associate the older term 'stigma' (Latin, from Greek for 'marks on the skin', from stig-, the stem of stizein, 'to prick') only with the marks on Christ's hands andfeet (the plural, stigmata). Or perhaps, especially in the 18th-century Britain of Captain Cook, it was simply culturally convenient to forget such things. For once upon a time the shoe had been on the other foot: when the Romans 'discovered' Britain they called its inhabitants 'Picts' or 'painted people' because their bodies were covered in either body paint or, more likely, tattoos. At any rate, from the 18th century onwards, for Europeans tattooing became inexorably linked with the exotic - something that strange peoples in very distant lands didto their bodies. Westerners became fascinated by this remarkable phenomenon and paid to see exhibitions of imported tribal peoples and tattooed European men who claimed to have been kidnapped andforcibly decorated at the hands of barbarians. (A fascinating myth, but one that fails to understand that traditional peoples permit only those they honour to be tattooed.) Many who travelled to the Pacific - some explorers, and many sailors of all ranks - delighted in the tattoos that they acquired there. In later centuries, after Japan had been opened to the world in 1854 and the artistry of its tattoo masters celebrated abroad (while, ironically, outlawed at home for the Japanese themselves), many made the journey - most famously GeoTge V of Britain and Tsar Nicholas II of Russia - specifically to acquire such distinctive, exotic and beautiful decorations.

Another such Westerner was the aforementioned George Burchett, who applied the knowledge he acquired as a seaman in Asia to his work as a tattooist in London from 1900 to 1953. The American tattooist Gus Wagner was a seaman in the Pacific during the same period and when he set up his own tattoo parlour in Newark, Ohio, he brought knowledge (and even tools) he had acquired in Borneo and Java. Burchett, Wagner and many others brought a skill and imagination to their profession that produced many beautiful tattoos, but, in the main, tattooing as practised in Britain, Europe and America degenerated aesthetically to become hackneyed, two-dimensional, often crude and repetitive. Most customers were forced to choose from a standard set of near-identical 'flash' drawings found on the walls of studios from Hamburg to San Francisco, which were simply stencilled onto the skin with little or no sensitivity to placement on the body. Writing in 1953, in Pierced Hearts and True Love (one of the first general histories of tattooing), Hanns Ebensten describes such European and American tattoos as 'haphazard', 'hurriedly drawn and badly executed', 'spaced without thought or deliberation'andplaced'in an unpleasant relationship to each other'. Unfortunately, while there are some noteworthy exceptions, Ebensten was right about the standards of Western tattooing at that time. But while the general view is that blame for this aesthetic failure rests on artistically inept and money-hungry tattooists (of which, no doubt, there were many), it is more rewarding to consider how features of the Western world view made it next to impossible for even the most talented and dedicated European or American tattooist to equal or surpass the art of Japan or the technologically simpler societies of the Pacific. (Or that of the Scythians of the Ukraine some two thousand years ago: the body of a Scythian chief found preserved in permafrost possesses exquisite tattoos of real and imaginary animals positioned with breathtaking grace around his body.)

Unlike the Scythians, the Pacific Islanders, the Japanese and so many others, Westerners in their tattooing had not come to terms with the human body as a unique, three-dimensional object. Inevitably, this failure forces us to consider the West's problematic relationship with the human body itself. In the traditional Western view, the flesh is weak, it leads us astray, it debilitates and limits us and, most importantly, it is alien, extraneous, not us. (This peculiar attitude begins with Plato but was formalized by Descartes' famous dictum, which divides between physical and mental experience and equates being with the latter, ignoring the significance of the former.) Given such cultural baggage, is it any wonder that until recent times Western tattooists found it so difficult to approach the medium of the human body with the respect and delight that is so evident in other tattoo traditions?

Whereas the Japanese or Tahitian tattooist had always worked with the body, the traditional Western tattooist seemed determined to cover it with art -in the process treating the three-dimensional body as if it were nothing but a two-dimensional blank sheet of paper. Andif it didn't occurtohim to use acon-sistent background to join together separate images into a visual whole (as the Japanese do), this is because, in the Western tattoo tradition, each image was executed as if on its own, separate, flat plane. (There is an interesting contrast here with Western cosmetic art, which, as discussed in the previous chapter of this book, almost always enhances, respects and celebrates the natural contours of the face. The key difference is gender. As Western men became increasingly estranged from their own bodies Western women were increasingly obliged to equate self with physicality. It should come as no surprise, therefore, that tattooing - a form of body decoration that existed in the West as an almost uniquely masculine adornment - should neglect the physical medium of the body in favour of the message inscribed on it, whereas cosmetics for women made and still make the medium of the face the message.) If the traditional Western tattooist was limited by his lack of respect for the human body, he also suffered from too much respect for the art world (which in the West, perhaps uniquely, had come to exclude body art from its domain). Striving to assert their own and their profession's artistic credentials, Western tattooists delighted in etching studies of'great' paintings onto their clients' backs and chests. And even when an image had no such fine art parentage, it was invariably drawn onto the skin in a painterly style. This persistence in trying to ape fine art inhibited Western tattooing from developing its own style - one more suited to its own tools and medium. It also kept tattoo art resolutely figurative: even when Western fine art discovered the possibilities of abstraction in the 1920s tattoos failed to follow suit. Until, that is, the 1960s - when a new generation of tattooists kick-started the 'tattoo renaissance'. As some of the fledging tattooists (for example, Cliff Raven and Ed Hardy) had been to art college in the 1950s and early 1960s, they brought with therrfa broader, 20th-century vision of what art could be - even embracing non-figurative styles such as abstraction. Alternatively, as in the case of the great pioneer of the tattoo renaissance 'Sailor Jerry' Collins, increased awareness of the aesthetic possibilities of tattoo art came from direct contact with tattooing in the Pacific. As discussed earlier, this was hardly the first time Western tattooists had directly experienced Eastern tattooing, but in the 1950s changing perceptions of both other cultures and the nature of art - together with a more positive view of the human body - meant that the likes of Collins and his followers could see the tattoo art of other peoples with fresh eyes. The tattoo renaissance may well have remained confined to the experiments of a handful of enthusiasts were it not for the youthquake and counterculture revolutions that shook the world in the second half of the 1960s. As well as a general questioning of mainstream cultural values and an accreditation of working/loweT-class styles, this systemic shift also, for many, recast the criminal outlaw as folk hero. All of these strands of rebellion pointed towards a more positive view of tattooing. If we were the people our parents warned us about then we really should get some tattoos. When the likes of Janis Joplin, Joan Baez and Peter Fonda got their 'tats' it finally opened the floodgates once and for all. As with the counterculture itself, a significant proportion of these new tattoo enthusiasts were middle-class and college or art-school educated.

This juxtaposition of a new type of tattooist and a new type of customer brought about a creative explosion that shattered the mould of traditional Western tattooing. Instead of making a quick (perhaps inebriated) choice of design from hackneyed, standardized flash drawings, the customer was now more likely to want unique, custom work -developed through a creative collaboration between client and tattooist.

Ancient styles from other, exotic tattoo traditions (Tribal, Japanese, Celtic) now joined with new approaches coming from Modern Art (a Kandinsky or Miro etched on human flesh), influences from streetstyle and pop culture to expand the tattoo lexicon dramatically. For the first time we see Western designs that are positioned to respect and complement the three-dimensional shape of the human body. True to the spirit of Postmodernism, eclectic stylistic elements from around the world and from different historical periods were merged on one body or even within one tattoo. The colour palette widened yet further and adventurous experiments in finding new tools and modifying old ones bore fruit. Hygiene standards were raised: needles and other equipment were scrupulously sterilized in autodaves.and leftover inks thrown away rather than shared between separate customers.

In another important demographic shift, female customers (and, increasingly, female professional tattooists) have become commonplace. While the West has long had tattooed women, they were previously seen as so freakish and unusual as to be exhibited in circus sideshows and the like.

Only a generation ago, tattooing (presumably because of the pain involved) constituted one, unique form of body adornment that didn't call into question a 'real' man's masculinity. But now, directly paralleling what has happened in clothing (it is difficult to find a woman today who doesn't wear jeans or trousers, but a man in a skirt or dress is still seen as atransvestite), the old masculine fortress of tattooing has been successfully stormed by the female sex. All these factors combined have made tattooing one of the most exciting and imaginative contemporary art forms. As can be seen at any of the growing number of tattoo conventions or on the pages of the many magazines and websites devoted to this body art, hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people are now actively engaged in stretching the aesthetic and stylistic possibilities of the tattoo

PRACTICAL ADVICE ON GETTING A TATTOO

Pain

A few myths to dispel: getting tattooed is not as painful as many suspect, although it may be uncomfortable, depending on its placement on the body Some parts of the body may be naturally more sensitive than others (i.e. any 'bony' area, compared to any 'fleshy' area) Having said that, there is no body part 'better' than any other for a tattoo Ultimately it depends on both individual taste and the extent to which you are willing to be public with your tattoo, although reputable tat-tooists will Tefuse to do hands or faces Irrational fear is the worst pam-tngger of all Reaction to pain varies enormously from one individual to the next Hence, you must be aware of your own pain threshold and be adequately prepared If you know you aTe prone to fainting at the sight of needles or blood you may want to take some precautions since tattooing includes both of these However, this does NOT mean taking drugs of any sort, including alcohol, since by altering your perception these will make the experience even worse, rather than helping you to relax. Instead, aim to be in a good mood. Devote some time to preparing yourself and your body for this unique experience. Acknowledge pain as a new sensation to feel, rather than something to fear and avoid. Pain comes in waves. Try to 'surf’ them. The more accept ing you are of pain, the more you will be able to embrace it, become pne with it and feel elation rather than distress. Tattooing is very much a collaborative process between you and your tattooist. He or she knows which parts of the body are bound to be more uncomfortable and will have the expertise to put you at ease. Listen carefully to his or her advice on the matter and trust it.

Aftercare

Always follow your tattpoist's recommendations. Generally a new tattoo should be bandaged for at least one hour and for no longer than eight hours. Do not Tebandage it. Wash it gently in warm running water and mild soap after removing the bandage. Do not scrub. Do not use a washcloth. Make sure you get all blood, products and ointments off the tattoo. Pat dry with a dean towel, or better, whenever possible, allow it to air dry. Apply a small amount of unscented dye-free quality moisturizer, enough to prevent your tattoo from drying out. Gently rub it in, at least twice a day until the tattoo has healed (approximately nine to fourteen days) Do not pick ot scratch any scabs Do not swim (in either salt or chlorinated water), sunbathe or soak the tattooed area. Do keep it clean and free from dust, paint, cement and oil (including sun oil) Most importantly: do not scratch! Your tattoo will itch as it heals, but you must allow the scabs to flake off in their own time. Wear loose clothing that allows your tattoo to breathe, but does not rub against it. If you suspect the tattoo is becoming infected, inform the tattooist and consult a doctor. The healing process depends on your own care and responsibility. Be kind to yourself and always follow your tattooist's instructions.

Safety

Tattooing is perfectly safe if proper sterilization and infection control standards are followed: anything that comes in contact with blood or bodily fluids must either be disposed of (single-use)1 or sterilized, (autoclaved). Look carefully at the appearance of the studio and ask questions. Is the studio clean and professional-looking? Does it have a licence from the local Department of Health? Any health-service environment, including a tattooing studio, in which contact with blood and bodily fluids is possible, must have certification Is theTe an autoclave? ATe the needles and other items single-use? What kind of disinfectants are used? A professional and responsible studio takes pride in its health and safety procedures and will happily answer all your questions.

Reliability

Check the studio and the staff. Are they polite and presentable? Doyou feel comfortable there? A tattoo artist should be helpful, answer your questions honestly and put you at ease. Check that he or she is a member of any professional organizations. Reputable tattooists are devoted to maintaining high standards of tattooing, to celebrating it as an art form and to protecting the industry. Ask how long they have been tattooing and have a look at photos of their work, flash drawings and other art. A good artist's work is always his or her best advertisement! Ask about their training and their drawing skills. If you go for custom work you want to choose an artist you feel comfortable with and who will collaborate with you in drawing up the perfect tattoo that fits your body and your vision.

Cost

The cost should never dictate the choice of artist or design. Think how many other purchases you are likely to make in a lifetime that will be with you, actually becoming you, forever. In fact, cost should be a minor factor in your decision. If you take price as a governing criteria it is better to wait and avoid disappointment. You will have the tattoo a lot longer than the tattooist will have the money and a tattoo that you are happy with is priceless.

A Final Word of Advice

Tattoos are not meant for everyone. Getting a tattoo is a personal decision that you will live with for the rest of your life, so make sure you research your design well and then find a good artist whom you trust to do the work. Go and see as many artists as you like. It is your tattoo. It is your body. It is forever.

Info

Health risks

Infection

Allergic reactions

tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul) Inks

Temporary tattoo (dövme piercing kadıköy istanbul)s

Forensics

Notes

References

Anthropological

Popular and artistic

Medical

Other references

THE TATTOOED BODY

PRACTICAL ADVICE ON GETTING A TATTOO

Pain

Aftercare

Safety

Reliability

Cost

A Final Word of Advice

Pain

Aftercare

Safety

Dovme Malzemesi

Dovme Seti

Tattoo Malzemeleri

Kalici Makyaj Malzemesi

Dovme Makinası

Dovme boyası