Getting inked may be your way of self-expression. The process of tattooing involves piercing of your skin with a tattoo gun and injecting it with ink. But you need to be aware of the risks involved. Tattoos come with their own set of health hazards ranging from rashes to infections. The break in the skin is an open wound which puts you at a risk of contracting an infection.
Can you get STD while getting a tattoo?
By definition, STDs are transmitted sexually. The infection is passed from an infected person to another during unprotected sexual acts – oral, vaginal, or anal. But some sexually transmitted infections have non-sexual modes of transmission too. They can be transmitted through blood.
There is no risk of transmission if your intact skin is exposed to infected blood. Since tattoos involve needle prick and blood, there is a chance of transmission of sexually transmitted disease. You are at a risk of contracting STDs like hepatitis and HIV through unsterilized needle. Though the chances are pretty slim, you are at risk if correct sterilization and sanitation procedures are not followed by your tattoo artist. If the needles and tools are not sterilized with each use you may end up with an infection passed on through contaminated blood. According to researchers, the risk of transmission of hepatitis B virus from a needle-stick injury is 6- 30%; while the transmission risk is less than 3% for hepatitis C virus. With 0.3%, the risk is very low for HIV. There have been cases of people contacting hepatitis C from tattoos. But till date, there has been no documented case of HIV transmission.
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Better safe than sorry
While you ponder over this implication of getting inked, it would be wiser to take some precautions. After all, prevention is better than cure. Here are some steps that will make sure you stay safe:
- Get inked from a licensed tattoo artist
- Enquire if the tattoo studio has sterilizing equipment and adheres to sterilization processes
- When you get inked, make sure a fresh, sterile needle is used
