Tattoos, commonly referred to as “ink” and “tats”, are becoming more and more popular. Television shows like Miami Ink have really helped spread the popularity of this skin art. And you can rarely find a sports icon that does not have some sort of tattoo.

To say most tattoo artists are “artists” is an understatement. Some of their work is absolutely incredible, breath taking, and the attention to detail is astounding. Having been someone who has entertained getting a tat for many years, I wanted to dig a little bit and see what some of the pros and cons are of getting a tattoo.

Tattoos have been around for thousands of years and there are many reasons why people have them. Some are for religious reasons, sentimental thoughts of a loved one, symbols of belonging to a particular group, cosmetic (permanent make up or hiding a skin blemish), and some are due to partying too much.

Tattoos can give someone an identity and confidence in themselves. Just because someone has a tattoo does not mean that person is evil. It is just a way they have chosen to express themselves. Some people express via clothing they wear, their hair style, but some choose to do it with tattoos.

Back in the good old days, those getting or giving tattoos would hand tap ink into the person’s skin by using sharpened sticks or bones. Fortunately, we are now using needles (sterile ones hopefully) to do this process. Electronic tattoo machines rapidly inject needles and ink into the skin, usually around 120 times a second. Needles come individually packaged/wrapped. There are dangers with the use of needles, which we will cover in a few minutes.

The portion of the body that is being tattooed needs to be very clean, the tattoo artist needs to have clean hands and a clean working environment and they should be wearing gloves when they do their artwork. If they are not or the facility is clean or you don’t see them pull needles out of sterile packaging, you may not want to have them do your work.

Anytime you are puncturing the skin with needles, there are health risks. There could be an allergic reaction with the “ink” that is used. Is the needle dirty or the area not a sterile environment? Infections can be transmitted through un-sterilized equipment including staph, hepatitis, HIV, herpes, and tetanus. All of these are very serious to your health.

There is a HUGE trust factor between you and your tattoo artist. Know this persons work and reputation. Do you have any friends that have used this artist before? Do they have their required documents to be an artist?

How much are tattoos? There are many factors that determine the price affiliated with a tattoo. It is not just the cost of the ink, size and details of the tattoo. It is also the time of the artist (these guys and gals are true artists!), the cost of the facility, their equipment, sterile needles, current demand for their product, overhead costs, etc. The more complex a tattoo is, the more it will cost. Always make sure you settle on the price of the tattoo BEFORE the artist starts the creation. Remember – this person is putting something on/in your skin that will be a permanent mark… You want to be their friend and have a good business relationship with them. Also remember that these are professional artists too.

Tattoos are very hard to remove and can be expensive too. That is why you want to be 100% sure you have the tattoo you want and know what you are getting into. Also know your tattoo artist and see some examples of their work. Tattoo removal is usually performed using lasers that break down the ink that is in your skin, which is then absorbed by your body. This is done with many repeat visits to the doctor’s office and may result in some scarring. This is also very expensive to do. There are more ways to do tattoo removal, but this seemed to be the most common way. All of the removal procedures do carry an element of risk for infection and scarring.

One last thing – click here for a couple things to think about before getting a tattoo. Personally, I am going to wait to make sure I know exactly what I want and where I want to have it placed. I think tats are incredible and I truly respect the artists that design them and those that wear them. If you have a tat you would like to share, send a picture to ksuinfo@yahoo.com and will try to put it under the picture section. If there is a story to tell with the tat, please include that too.