Tattoos have been a common form of body art for thousands of years. The first tattoos were discovered on bodies over 1400 years old. These historic tats consisted of animals and mythical animals which were supposedly tattoos of status and rank among tribes.

Today, tattoos are a universal form of individual identification, an artwork, or just a way to be heard. The reason for tattooing is different for everyone. Some like tattoos because they look cool, some want to keep a special name, quote, or phrase with them at all times, and some don’t even remember getting one in the first place. However, although tattooing methods seem safe and low-risk – after all, all of your friends have one! But tattooing has secret dangers that may be life threatening.
A recent study by Dr. Bob Haley and Dr. Paul Fischer at the University Of Texas South-western Medical School discovered that the average commercial tattoo is the number one distributor of hepatitis C. Dr. Haley concluded that “Commercial acquired tattoos accounted for more than twice as many hepatitis C injections as injection-drug use. This means it may have been the largest single contributor to the nationwide epidemic of this form of hepatitis.” Hepatitis C kills over 10,000 people a year, and more than 4 million Americans and counting are infected with hepatitis C. Unsterilized equipment and needles can also transmit other serious diseases such as tuberculosis, hepatitis B, and HIV.
According to WebMD Medical News 2002 “Hepatitis C is spread by infected blood and infected needles, which is the virus’s connection with tattooing. Tattoos involve lots of needles making lots of sticks in the skin. Each stick carries potential for contamination – and not just with hepatitis, but also HIV.”
If you think that these diseases are only picked up in cheap tattoo parlors with improper sterilization techniques, you’re wrong. Famous celebrity Pamela Anderson picked up Hepatitis C from a tattoo parlor.
It makes a lot of sense if you think about the kind of people who stereotypically get tattoos; drug addicts, rock stars, deviants, and criminals – and understand that it is their blood which infects the needles. It’s entirely up to the tattoo parlor to make sure their instruments are sterilized properly – but do you really want to take that risk?