Police tattoos

In Philadelphia there have been recent reports of local authorities raiding tattoo parties. These parties are being advertised on local websites like craigslist. There have also been small posters hung up around the neighborhood. In the past month police have conducted four raids with surprising results. These raids have turned up a large number of underage teens getting illegal tattoos. Some of them have been as young as 12 years old.

There are at least two major problems with this finding. First, in Pennsylvania a person must at least 18 years of age to get a tattoo. Additionally, a person must be licensed in order to be a tattoo artist. In the case of these raids both laws have been broken. Local health authorities are also concerned about the potential health risks of illegal tattoo parties where there are no standards of sanitation and no protection against contamination from things like shared needles.

Unfortunately these teens have no clue of the jeopardy they place themselves in by getting an illegal tattoo. Actually, people 18 and older have little clue either. This is not to say that I am against body art, but more that people have no idea what is being injected under their skin. Whether tattoo inks are produced in manufacturing plants or mixed by tattoo artists, no one really knows what is in them, at least there is no mandate to publish it.

The FDA is making some strides to have companies disclose the content of their inks. Even if that happens, there has to more detailed requirements placed on local tattoo artists who mix their own inks. It may not sound like a big deal at all until you have at least a basic understanding of what is in tattoo inks. The core components of most inks are metals which are toxic to the human body. This brings about the risk of toxic poisoning and allergic reactions.

This along with other factors is the reason so many people are looking for methods to remove unwanted tattoos that may pose a long-term health risk. Laser is a popular but expensive method that also comes with pain and a host of other side effects. Tattoo removal creams offer the option to either remove or fade a tattoo on your own with none of the expense or side effects of laser tattoo removal.