Tattoos and piercings have gone mainstream in the past ten years, adorning all sorts of bodies from rock stars and wrestlers to high school students and urban professionals. They are no longer the domain of sailors or bikers. And nobody's apologizing for them anymore. Well, the good news is that tattooing and body piercing are perfectly safe when done by professionals who are careful to protect their clients from infections. There are risks, however, and you should know them before visiting any body artist.
Blood diseases are a potential risk.
The hepatitis virus can survive for a long time in open air. HIV is not as strong a virus, but it is possible to be infected through unsafe body art practices. Also important for people living with HIV is the risk of bacterial infections. To avoid them, body artists must keep their shops clean, all surfaces and equipment disinfected and sterilized. It's also tempting to save money by letting a friend or relative give you a tattoo or piercing.