In the earlier days, tattooing was done at home by friends or in prison by cell mates. In Japan (between 300-600A.D.) tattoos came to be associated with criminals as tattoo symbols were put on criminals as a mark of punishment. Some common criminal tattoos are spades, clubs, diamonds, hearts, grins, snakes, tigers, cats, and skulls (“Criminal”, n.d.). The earliest record of tattooing was discovered in a sailor’s log from his days of ship travel in the early nineteenth century. Tattooing was known then as “pricking.” Throughout the nineteen sixties and nineteen seventies hippies displayed their ideals and beliefs through their ever-growing tattoo art form (“United”, n.d.). In today’s society we see more body art than ever before. One of the best inventions was the electric tattooing implement in 1891. This device made for faster and more detailed work. Tattooing has become more popular and safe with time and there is an out show of tattooed bodies. People are not afraid to show their tattoos in public anymore. A tattoo is just a part of a person’s life and not a scar or bad memory. However, many people are still terrified of tattoo shops due to the possibility of contamination. The main health complications associated with tattooing include infection, pathologic healing, allergic reactions, tissue damages, bleeding, and odonto-stomatologic lesions (“16th”, 2006). While we may not know for a fact that an artists’ equipment is sanitized, tattoo parlors must maintain cleanliness for health reasons.
Tattooing is more popular and safe than it used to be. There are a few things a person should look for when searching for a tattoo shop. The first thing is making sure that all the artists wear gloves. Gloves should be worn when the artist handles equipment, cleans up and anytime they are tattooing a customer. This step prevents transfer of disease and infection for both the customer and the artist. Schwab (2007) says, “All equipment such as the...