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Body Art – A Safe Way to Express Yourself? This Question
Publish Date : 11/29/2004 4:23:00 PM   Source : Culture and Community News

Pierced ears were common in ancient Greek, Middle East, and Far East cultures. Nose piercing was popular in Alaska and ancient Mexico and is still common for women in Pakistan and India.

Today, body piercing and tattooing have become more popular among young and old alike. Because of the increase in body art over the last few years, there has been a growing concern about the safety of tattoos and piercing. If you or any family members are considering being pierced or tattooed, there are some important issues to consider.

What are Tattoos?
According to the University of Pennsylvania, the word tattoo comes from the Tahitian word tattau, which means "to mark". Using an electric tattoo machine, ink is injected with a needle into the dermis of the skin. The dermis is the deeper second layer of the skin that does not slough off like the epidermis (top layer of skin). Tattoos are considered permanent because the ink in the dermis will last a lifetime.

Tattoos come in an array of designs and are chosen for a variety of reasons. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lists some of the reasons people may desire tattoos:

- Personal expression
- Rite of passage or rebellion
- Permanent makeup
- Addition to reconstruction surgery, mainly of the face or breast
- People with alopecia (a type of hair loss) may tattoo new eyebrows to replace lost brows
- Individuals with vitiligo (lack of pigmentation of the skin) may use - tattooing to cover up the condition

What is Body Piercing?
Body Piercing is described by the Nemours Foundation KidsHealth as a procedure that uses a needle to puncture or pierce the skin. A piece of jewelry is then inserted into the puncture wound.

Body parts that are often pierced include:
- Ears – lobes and/or cartilage
- Eyebrows
- Nose – nostril, bridge and/or septum
- Tongue
- Lips
- Navel
- Nipples

Are There Risks?
Both tattoos and body piercing are invasive procedures that involve puncturing the skin. Anytime the skin is broken, there is a risk of infection, especially if the equipment is not properly sanitized. According to the FDA, the risks associated with tattooing include:

Transmission of HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C from unsterilized tattooing equipment and needle.

Allergic reactions to tattoo pigment (ink).
Granulomas or nodules may form during the tattoo’s healing process.

Keloid formation (thickened scar tissue) may occur.

MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) complications.
The FDA reports that an MRI may cause swelling or burning at the tattoo location, or the tattoo pigment may interfere with the quality of the image. The FDA suggests notifying the technician about tattoos or permanent makeup.

The American Medical Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report the following risks associated with body piercing:

Transmission of HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C from contaminated equipment.

Infection at the piercing site.

Poor healing - some body piercing sites may take longer to heal than others.

Pain. Edema or swelling of skin tissue. Scar formation at the piercing site. Allergic reactions, especially to certain types of jewelry. Damage to teeth and gums from piercing of the tongue and/or lip.

Things to Consider
Even if you are willing to face the risks of tattoos and body piercing there are other issues to think about before choosing to make permanent decorative changes to your body. As reported by the FDA, the most common problem with tattoos is future dissatisfaction. Tattoos are permanent and what seems to be hip or cool today may not be considered stylish in the future. Skin changes, weight gain or weight loss, fading of the design, or the type of design chosen may affect how your tattoo looks or how you feel about your tattoo in later years. Tattoo removal can be attempted but it is expensive, often painful, and may not be completely successful.

According to KidsHealth, people with certain medical conditions may be at increased risk for complications from tattoos and piercing. Talk to your doctor before getting a tattoo or piercing if you have any of the following conditions:

- heart disease
- diabetes
- allergies
- skin disorders
- an immune system disorder
- pregnancy

Tattoos and body art although controversial it is still a matter of choice and is left up to the individual person, so as long as you have all the information to make an intelligent decision that is based on fact, that is what Unicare and the policy store is striving to provide the public and our members.

Don't forget that UNICARE serves 1.7 million medical members and is the national operating subsidiary of WellPoint Health Networks Inc., the nation’s second largest publicly traded health care company. WellPoint serves the health care needs of more than 15 million medical members and approximately 46 million specialty members. WellPoint offers a broad spectrum of quality network-based health products including open access PPO, POS and hybrid products, HMO and specialty products. Specialty products include pharmacy benefit management, dental, utilization management, vision, mental health, life and disability insurance, long term care insurance, flexible spending accounts, COBRA administration, and Medicare supplements. UNICARE can be found on the web at www.unicare.com.

For more information on UNICARE PPO plans individuals can call 1-866-526-9669 toll-free access for the Policy Store, or visit our website at www.PolicyStore.com.

Other Sites that are of interest of Jeff Cline:
www.PolicyStore.com
www.thePolicyStore.com
www.Unicare.biz
www.Unicare-health-insurance.com
www.UnicareAgents.com
www.Unicare-Unicare.com