Tattoos

I know several co-workers who like and have tattoos on their bodies.  The practice of getting tattoos has become popular in our country and around the world.  People have many reasons for getting tattoos which include putting a tattoo on their bodies to remember someone, something or some place that holds special meaning to them.  Some people just like to decorate their bodies with tattoo artwork.

If you decide to have a tattoo, be knowledgeable about the dangers of tattoos.

An August 22, 2012 study published by the New England Journal of Medicine discussed an outbreak of infections at tattoo sites.  The germ involved was Mycobacterium chelonae.  The 19 people who developed skin infections at their tattoo sites all received tattoos from the same tattoo artist (who had worn gloves) and the culprit for the infection turned out to be pre-mixed ink. This information can be found at http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1205114?query=featured_home

How can a person protect himself from the dangers of infection from tattoos?  More information can be found at CDC website, http://blogs.cdc.gov/publichealthmatters/2012/08/the-hidden-dangers-of-getting-inked/