Anjelica
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 13, 2004
- Messages
- 3,248
When someone is in food service and has a lot of visible tattoos, it really turns me off. To me, it screams "potential Hepatitis exposure."
Most, if not all states have health regulations and inspections of tattoo and body piercing parlors. I've NEVER been to a tattoo parlor where I could not see the sterilization process (whether that be a new needle from an unopened bag or other sterilization methods). I would NEVER get a tattoo from a shop where I could not see the sterilization methods they use before my eyes AS they were doing my prep and tattoo work. There are just a handful of states that have opened/non-regulated tattoo laws.
For my family, taking my daughter to the local Claires, JCPenny's, etc. to get her ears pierced last year (she was 6) was NOT an option. I would be more afraid of the person who is trained for 5 minutes on the "gun" than I would be from the certified, experienced piercer in terms of my daughter catching some disease, etc. Claires and those kinds of places do not have ANY regulation on how or even who pierces. At my local Sally's I could have bought a gun to pierce my daughters ears - instead I took her to the tattoo/body piercing parlor where I know they get regular inspections and they take sterilization and medical safety to a VERY high level. They also use ONLy medical/hospital grade jewelry vs. something that is going to agitate my daughters ears.
Bottom line, making the assumption that someone who has tattoo's is a "potential hepatitis exposure" is quite a leap. Don't get me wrong, do I think people who get tattoos/body piercings should DO their homework, ABSOLUTELY. Look very hard into the place you are going - make sure you not only check their references but also they are current on health inspections/certifications, etc. But do I think because someone who has a tattoo is "potential hepatitis exposure" not so much.
"The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's position on this subject states that, "Whenever tattoos or body piercings are performed in informal settings or with non-sterile instruments, transmission of hepatitis C and other infectious diseases is possible." Despite these risks, it is rare for tattoos in an approved facility to be directly associated with HCV infection"