Opinion ID: 175055
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Tattooing

Text: A declaration provided by the City sums up well the process of tattooing: A tattoo is created by injecting ink into a person's skin. To do this, an electrically powered tattoo machine, often called a gun, moves a solid needle up and down to puncture the skin between 50 and 3,000 times per minute. The needle penetrates the skin by about a millimeter and deposits a drop of insoluble ink into the skin with each puncture. The ink is deposited in the dermis, which is the second layer of skin.. . . Because the skin has been punctured many times, the end result is essentially an open wound. Tattooing carries the risk of infection and transmission of disease if unsanitary conditions are present or unsterile equipment is used. Yurkew, 495 F.Supp. at 1252. The City's declarations establish that tattooing can result in the transmission of such diseases as hepatitis, syphilis, tuberculosis, leprosy, and HIV. Reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration confirm the significant health risks of tattooing. See Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Body Art: Tattoos and Piercings (Jan. 21, 2008), available at http://www.cdc.gov/features/ bodyart (last visited May 25, 2010) (noting risks of infection, tuberculosis, Hepatitis B and C, and HIV); United States Food and Drug Administration, Tattoos & Permanent Makeup (Nov. 29, 2000), available at http://www.fda.gov/ cosmetic s/productan-dingredientsafety/productinformation/ ucm108530.htm (last visited May 25, 2010) (discussing risks of infection, removal problems, potential allergic reactions, and MRI complications). In general, however, tattooing is a safe procedure if performed under appropriate sterilized conditions. Yurkew, 495 F.Supp. at 1252. [T]attoo artists protect themselves and their clients when following safe and healthy practices, including using sterile needles and razors, washing hands, wearing gloves, and keeping surfaces clean. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, supra; see also Mayo Clinic, Tattoos: Understand Risks and Precautions (Feb. 16, 2010), available at http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/tattoos-and-piercings/mc00020 (last visited May 25, 2010) (providing a list of questions a person should ask [t]o make sure[his] tattoo will be applied safely).