Board of Health Sets Standards for Tattoo Establishments

Tattooing, a process of decorating the skin with colors, is an art form that has been with us since antiquity. Along with being a purely decorative practice, it also has provided a means for concealing cosmetic medical problems. Surveys have found that three percent of the general population and five percent of men have tattoos.

Permanent tattoos are done using a machine that pierces the skin with needles. Loss of some blood or blood serum always follows puncturing of the skin by tattoo needles, creating a risk of bloodborne infectious disease. The combination of blood and nonsterile tattooing procedures can lead to the transmission of syphilis, hepatitis B or the HIV virus. Although the transmission of HIV by tattooing has not yet been documented, the threat exists.

Many health care professionals acknowledge that permanent tattooing is generally safe when done by an experienced tattooist who sterilizes the equipment and follows appropriate sanitary practices. A successful tattoo also depends on the recipient properly caring for the tattooed area in the first week or so after the procedure. Mike Morlock of Dragonfly Tattoo, Youngstown, is one who believes that guidelines for safe tattooing are needed. Morlock is a member of an advisory group created to study recommendations for safe tattooing that the Board of Health adopted as regulatory standards for tattoo establishments that take effect in 1997.

The new standards call for universal precautions to prevent bloodborne disease transmission, sterilization of tattooing equipment, and hepatitis B vaccination of persons employed in tattoo establishments.

John and Debbie Lenz of Artistic Dermagraphics, Boardman, were among the local tattoo establishment owners who participated in the process of developing the Board of Health standards. "Our main concern always has been to protect our clients and ourselves," Mrs. Lenz said. "Owning and operating a tattoo studio for almost 25 years in this area, we think it is a long overdue subject that has finally been approached by the Mahoning County Board of Health. We worked together as a team to come up with agreeable regulations and found the board to be respectful of our opinions, concerns and questions. We only hope that the Youngstown Board of Health follows the County's lead."

Sanitarians from the Board of Health solid waste program are scheduled to begin inspecting and licensing tattoo establishments in the spring of 1997.