by Samara Alpern
Daily Lobo columnist
It doesn't matter whether it's a butterfly alighting on a sorority girl's ankle, a blue teardrop falling from a convict's eye, or a pin-up girl jiggling on a barfly's arm - getting a tattoo hurts. That's because the needle must stab the skin hundreds of thousands of times to leave the mark.
The process of tattooing is so brutal that it's hard to believe the practice is as widespread as it is. And it's not just sorority girls, convicts and the barflies who are willing to endure the pain -- it's the whole world. Since forever.
The art of tattooing is more than 6,000 years old and has been practiced all over the world. Physical evidence of tattooing is found as far back as 2,000 B.C. in Egypt, and 4,000 B.C. in Europe.
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In the West, tattooing has a long but interrupted history. It was common practice from prehistory until the Middle Ages. Then tattooing disappeared from written accounts for centuries, reappearing again in the 1800s. But it's only been in the last 20 years when tattooing has surged like a tsunami into popular culture. It is estimated that between 10 percent and 30 percent of young adults have a tattoo, and that up to half of nontattooed young adults are considering getting a tattoo. In Albuquerque, there are more than 20 tattoo parlors in operation.
How to explain the popular human desire to be stabbed repeatedly with a needle for permanent cosmetic effect?
There are a lot of different reasons to get tattoos. In many cultures throughout history, prison inmates, slaves and other "undesirables" were tattooed as punishment or to publicly mark their status. Tattoos can also serve as mementos. In Robin Hood's day, crusaders to the Holy Land came back with tattoos as sacred souvenirs of their journey. Another ancient reason to get tattooed is to honor lost loved ones. In fact, people must have been doing so since the Bible was written because there is a command against tattooing in Leviticus: "You shall not gash yourselves in mourning for the dead: you shall not tattoo yourselves." I guess the crusaders missed that Bible passage.
These days, people are most commonly tattooed as a matter of self-expression. Exactly what you're expressing with that tattoo of a Care Bear is up for debate.
Not only is tattooing painful, but it can be risky. Before the era of sterilization, the transmission of delightful diseases like syphilis was not uncommon. Though today cases of HIV and hepatitis transmission via tattoo are extremely rare, blood-borne illnesses can be transmitted during the tattooing process if basic safety procedure is not followed.
The Alliance of Professional Tattooists, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting health and safety in the tattooing industry, recommends the following to ensure a safe tattoo experience:
1. Always insist that you see your tattooist remove a new needle and tube set-up from a sealed envelope immediately before your tattoo.
2. Be certain you see your tattooist pour a new ink supply into a new disposable container.
3. Make sure your artist puts on a new pair of disposable gloves before setting up tubes, needles and ink supplies.
4. Satisfy yourself that the shop furnishings and tattooist are clean and orderly in appearance, much like a medical facility.
5. Feel free to question the tattooist as to any of his or her sterile procedures and isolation techniques. Take time to observe them at work and do not hesitate to inquire about their experience and qualifications in the tattoo field.
6. If the tattooist is a qualified professional, he or she will have no problem complying with standards above and beyond these simple guidelines.
Besides safety, it's also important to get yourself a talented artist. Does the meaning of that Care Bear tattoo even matter if the Care Bear looks like a Pound Puppy? There are plenty of tattoo shops in Albuquerque, so there are lots of artists to choose from. Established tattoo artists have portfolios available for your perusal. Make sure the artist's work fits with your idea of a good tattoo.
Though there are methods for removing tattoos, these procedures are painful - even more painful than getting the tattoo - expensive and not that effective.
Getting inked up is a serious endeavor, so take it seriously and get it done right.
