PIERCINGS, INK AND TEENS
Parents can have challenges
A mainstream development in our culture these days is the increase in tattoos and piercings of various body parts, known as “body modifications.”
In the late 20th century, most tattoos were sported by men, ranging from the stereotypical tattooed sailors to motorcycle bikers and gang members. But these days many parents, and an increasing number of adolescents and young adults have elected to tattoo their bodies.
In 2012, about 20 per cent of adults had tattoos; now it’s closer to 30 per cent. A recent survey of high school students revealed that 10 per cent had tattoos and 55 per cent expressed an interest in tattooing.
In the October 2017 edition of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published its first-ever statement on what pediatricians, parents and adolescents need to know about tattoos and body piercing.
The AAP does not argue against young people getting tattoos, but explains what the risks are and what the implications may be later in life when adolescents try to get employment.
The risks associated with tattoos are relatively uncommon and mostly involve infections such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV. There are rare instances of herpes transmission. Some tattoos can lead to skin infections by bacteria such as staphylococcus and streptococcus. Many blood banks require a one-year waiting period between getting a tattoo and donating blood.
Because of the above risks, anyone who plans to get a tattoo should be sure that the tattoo parlour maintains a very strict standard of hygiene where equipment is properly sterilized and new ink and new needles are used every time. The quality of the ink is not regulated federally, which means standards may vary from shop to shop.
A recent publication raised concerns that higher amounts of contaminants and minerals found in ink were isolated in lymph nodes, suggesting that the ink over time drains toward the lymph nodes or gets absorbed into the skin. Tattoo inks are a mixture of inorganic and synthetic organic pigments and, to various degrees, contain small amounts of aluminum, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, iron, mercury, titanium, nickel and silicon. The concentration of metals may be very low, but we know that some metals are emerging as a class of carcinogens and cutaneous exposure over a lifetime may result in adverse results, depending on how these products are absorbed. More research is required before any alarm bells will go off.
A recent paper looked at how athletes with tattoos sweat and a concern was raised that the bigger the tattoo, the less likely the athlete will sweat normally. The clinical implications remain uncertain, but the normal physiology is disturbed.
Surveys of young adults with tattoos show that 72 per cent of tattoos are usually covered up. This may be a good thing when someone goes for a job interview. In a recent article on marketplace.org, an executive career coach wrote that 37 per cent of human resource managers cite tattoos as the third physical attribute likely to limit career potential. (Non-ear piercings and bad breath were the top two.) For more information, see marketplace.org/topics/business/
Overall, the perception of tattoos and what they mean has shifted rapidly in the past decade or so: 40 per cent of respondents to a recent Pew Research survey said that more people getting tattoos has been a change for the worse; 45 per cent said it has made no difference and only seven per cent said this change has been for the better. It is not a surprise that the majority of those 65 years and older still view tattoos as negative. Some even believe it is a sign of being deviant, whereas 65 per cent of those under age 50 do not see any harm in it.
The AAP statement also discussed piercing, specifically the risks of infection but also the implication of various body parts being pierced. After ear piercing, it has become more popular to modify the body by piercing genitals, the mouth/tongue, the navel, nipples and the nose.
Few adolescents are capable of thinking long-term and they do not always know that their skin is not done growing at age 18. This means that a tattoo at 18 could be stretched out, faded and lopsided by age 24. Tattoo removal is difficult, costly and often only partially effective.
We all live and learn in our own unique ways.