Reference to write up by Nick Buccaneer , pirate@netcom.com, who studied at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, Dept. of Epidemiology. He spend the summer researching AIDS and IV drug use in NYC.
“Obviously there is some concern about AIDS and tattooing because when you get a tattoo, you bleed. But the mechanism of transmission needs to be better understood.
AIDS is transmitted by intimate contact with bodily fluids, blood and semen being the most common. Intimate contact means that the fluid carrying the AIDS virus (HIV) enters into your system. Injection drug users use hollow medical syringes and needles to inject drugs directly into their bloodstream. It is common practice to withdraw a little blood back into the syringe to delay the onset of the high. When needles are passed from IDU to IDU and reused without sterilisation some of that blood remains in the syringe and is passed on to the next user. If infected blood is passed , the recipient can become infected with HIV which leads to AIDS.
Tattooing is very different from injecting drugs. The needles used in tattooing are not hollow. They do however travel back and forth through a hollow tube that acts as an ink reservoir. The tip of the tube is dipped into the ink which draws a little into the tube. As the needle withdraws into the tube, it gets coated with ink. When it comes forward, it pierces your skin and deposits the ink. You then bleed a little through the needle hole. This happens several hundred of times a second
You are only at risk of infection if you come in contact with infected blood. Since it is only your skin that is being pierced during the tattooing process, only your blood is being exposed. This means that the only person at greatest risk is the artist because s/he is the only one coming in contact with someone else (potentially infected) blood. This is why reputable (and sane) tattoo artists wear surgical gloves while working.
Another source of infection is through the use of infected tools. This is why it is IMPERATIVE that you make sure your tattoo artist uses sterile equipment. Needles and tubes need to be autoclaved /disposed each and every time they are used. Ink should come from separate cups and not directly from the bottle. Any left over ink should be disposed off and not used under any circumstance.
A fresh tattoo is sore and needs time to heal. During this healing period, which could be between 2 to 4 weeks, it helps to take the following precautions:
Your artist will let you know if s/he would like you to apply any other ointment during the healing period. A&D ointment is commonly used . It is important to follow the directions of your tattoo artist. Unfortunately there are different views on this. I personally suggest it is left open as far as possible and to wash it with a mild soap and pat dry daily.
The difficult period is normally from the 5th day onwards when the skin tends to get itchy , dry and peel. It is important to keep it moist at all times – use coconut oil, baby Johnson oil or a moisturizer. Do not scratch, especially if there is a scab as that would leave a dull patch if peeled .