Backyard Tattoo Parties

What is a backyard tattoo party?

A backyard tattoo party is any outdoor (or indoor) situation, where someone will tattoo people without the benefit of a sterile environment; which can include but is not limited to the ability to sterilize equipment or tools, and places where there will be wooden surfaces that cannot be sterilized with cleansers. The situation may or may not involve needles that are used more than once, but if the artist is not using disposable needles, you need to seriously reconsider your decision to get tattooed at such a function.

Understanding your risks

Here at Inflicting Ink Traveling Tattoo we LOVE a great tattoo party. However, we refuse to tattoo in anything less than sterile conditions; which is why we bring our sterile facility everywhere we go. With the use of our traveling tattoo truck, we are able to offer the same sterile precautions that we take in our home studio in Portsmouth at your remote location of choice. All we need is enough room to turn the truck around, and you can easily book us through our website at www.InflictingInkTattoo.com

If you are considering a backyard tattoo party, consider the guidelines imposed by the CDC with regard to tattoo artists, and the risks for skin diseases and death before you let someone touch your skin with a less than perfect needle in a less than perfect environment.

The CDC has the following recommendations for tattoo artists:

• All artists should be licensed and use single use, disposable needles and razors for tattoing and piercing
• All equipment needs to be sterilized, and only equipment that can either be sterilized or thrown away should be used in tattooing or body piercing procedures
• All artists should be wearing gloves, and wash and disinfect their hands and any surfaces involved in tattooing or piercing before and after every session (wood is not an acceptable surface as it cannot be properly disinfected, and the virus that causes Hepatitis can live for up to four days on a non-disinfected surface)
• All tools and equipment that is not disposable should be cleaned and sterilized after every use
• In addition to work surfaces, all surfaces in the tattoo studio, such as chairs, tables, and counters should be cleaned and disinfected consistently to prevent the spread of bacteria and pathogens or viruses

How to avoid trouble

Before getting a tattoo ask the artist the following questions, and make sure the answers match up as well:
Q. Are you a licensed tattoo artist, working in a licensed facility?
A. Yes. (they should be able to also tell you which state they are licensed in, and which studio they work for)
Q. Did you apprentice under a reputable tattoo artist in a licensed sterile facility?
A. Yes. (they should also be able to provide you with the name of their teacher and the studio)
Q. Do you practice continuing education and updates to your license on a yearly basis?
A. Yes. (they should be able to help you understand the sterile processes they use, why they use them, what the law requires them to use, and what kind of continuing education updates they take yearly)

Remember that there are very few backyard situations that would be considered a sterile environment for tattooing, but a good rule of thumb to consider is whether or not you would let your dentist perform surgery on you in the same environment - because dentists have the highest incidences of cross-contamination and blood born pathogen illnesses of any environment, and if you wouldn't let them pull a tooth in the same environment, don't get a tattoo in it.

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Inflicting Ink is a Rhode Island Tattoo Studio that embodies quality, consistency and pride, and offers a sterile, safe, comfortable, artistic environment to its customers.  Nominated multiple times for the Best Tattoo Parlor in Rhode Island and Best Tattoo Artist in RI.

You may contact them for an appointment for a tattoo at (401) 683-5680 and of course walk-ins are always welcome.

For more information, please visit our home page at www.inflictinginktattoo.com.

Scratchers Give Tattoo Artists a Bad Name

The article below deals with the unfortunate popularity of underground tattooing, unlicensed tattoo artists, and non-sterile environments. If you are planning to get a tattoo, no matter where you go, please make sure that the artist is licensed, and the facility is sterile – if not for yourself, at least consider that every unlicensed artist who is tattooing you, is also tattooing underage children. In addition, you’re putting your life on the line, literally, and risking exposure to some of the nastiest skin diseases and infections on the planet, not to mention HIV and other blood born viruses.

Think before you ink!

The one place you should never go to get a tattoo

By Dan Wells
OXFORD, OH (FOX19) -
They're part-time tattooing wannabes called "Scratchers." It's a group of people who have taught
themselves the art of "permanent ink." It's growing in popularity and leaving people right here
in the Tri-state with more than just a design on their body.

From the beginning, Steve Cupp - the owner of Vertigo Tattoo in Oxford - has been outspoken
about safe tattooing practices. He's been creating body art since 1997, but what he's seen grow
in popularity lately is just plain shocking.

"You know they will come in with holes in them, puss and all kinds of stuff and they end up
hospitalized," said Cupp.

Steve's talking about the aftermath of "scratching."

"As a general rule we'll get five or six clients a week or so they will come through the door
with something God awful," said Cupp. "As it grows people think they want to be a part of it and
they'll get on the Internet and find a machine and find some needles and with absolutely no
training what so ever start trying to tattoo their friends."

This may sound harmless enough in itself, but Scratchers have been coming under serious attack
by real tattoo artists because the un-trained practice could be deadly.

"There are tons of infections you can get - Hepatitis A, B and C, there's Staph infection there
is MRSA," said Cupp.

Scratchers usually teach themselves how to ink with the help of videos and homemade tattooing
equipment, then those Scratchers put their services out there for un-knowing takers.

Alex Cooper became a victim at 16.

"I talked to one of my friends who I went to school with and he got a tattoo from a guy in a
house and I didn't know the dangers of it so I got one," said Cooper. "Saran wrap on the kitchen
table, no kind of clean substance, basically dry wiping."

"You could be Picasso with a tattoo machine but what your doing is not right," said Doug Paxton,
a professional tattoo artist. "It's always been and up and down phenomenon that it will be a fad
for a couple of years then it goes up and down its always been that way but these other reason
is it's a fast and easy way to make money."

Doug Paxton told us this type of tattooing could literally be the death of a customer if proper
health procedures aren't strictly carried out.

"It's nasty and if it's not taken care of properly, you're going to the hospital or worse," adds
Paxton.

So how popular is a tattoo? The Pew Research Center in January of 2007 said 36 percent of 18-25
year olds have at least one tattoo.

"I feel like I was extremely lucky to not have any of that happen like the mesa or any kind of
staph infection…really," said Cooper.

Professionals say if you're thinking about getting a tattoo make sure the artist follows strict
health and safety precautions with sterilization techniques monitored by health officials. They
say if a studio is run by a professional you're going to see equipment packaged in a protective
pouches that remain sealed until it is opened in front of a customer.

Local health departments regulate tattoo studios in many jurisdictions, which should give the
person getting a tattoo some piece of mind about health risks but you want to do your homework.
Make sure you ask a lot of questions before you decide to let someone put that tattoo design on
your body.

Here are some of the question you should ask.

What are the laws in your city/state on tattooing?

What certifications and/or licenses are required to tattoo legally in your city/state?

What is the procedure of operating an autoclave? what temperature must the autoclave reach
and for how long?

What is a blood-born pathogen and how do you prevent the spread of it, and cross-
contamination?

How do you thoroughly clean and disinfect needles and tubes before autoclaving?

What layer of epidermis of the skin must you not enter to prevent scarring of a tattoo?

What is plasma, and what does the leakage of plasma during a tattoo indicate?

These are only a few of the things that are absolutely necessary for a tattoo artist to know,
and if you can't answer all of these questions with concise understanding, you are not ready to
be a tattoo artist.

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Inflicting Ink is a Rhode Island Tattoo Studio that embodies quality, consistency and pride, and offers a sterile, safe, comfortable, artistic environment to its customers.  Nominated multiple times for the Best Tattoo Parlor in Rhode Island and Best Tattoo Artist in RI.

You may contact them for an appointment for a tattoo at (401) 683-5680 and of course walk-ins are always welcome.

For more information, please visit our home page at www.inflictinginktattoo.com.

Can I Get Tattooed and Pierced at the Same Time?

You can, but why would you want to? Unless you are in a particular hurry, and have the time to devote to focusing on your healing process, you may want to choose one before the other. Other than the fact that some artists will refuse to do both at the same time, here are some other reasons why getting one before the other is preferable.

Tattoos and piercings require attention to avoid infection.

Body Piercings require an extra amount of attention to heal properly, and depending upon where the piercing is, infection chances could be substantially increased. For instance, nipple piercings are more likely to become infected than piercings anywhere else on the body, including intimate piercings. The reason for this is that the piercing has a direct communication with the ducts in he breast through the nipple. This communication becomes confused, and can cause an abscess in the breast tissue that require medical attention. If you have a nipple piercing and have any signs of infection, even minor ones, make sure you seek medical attention immediately.

Tattoos and Piercings are painful to get, and can be painful to heal.

Although most tattoo enthusiasts are fairly immune to the pain of tattoos, certainly combinations of tattoos and piercings can produce more pain than just a standard tattoo alone. And if you are planning to place your tattoo in the same vicinity of your piercing, you're just inviting trouble. The extra inflammation will increase your chances of infection, and the resulting pain will mean a longer heal time overall.

Cost.

Of course you realize when getting a tattoo to begin with that it will cost a little money. If you're planning to go the bargain route at all, think again, as using a less than reputable shop, or worse a cheaper unlicensed artist, can net you some pretty serious skin diseases, and not just the kind that leave a scar, we're talking the really nasty type that can prove fatal. Spend the extra money for a reputable licensed tattoo artist in a quality sterile tattoo studio, just do one at a time to avoid breaking the bank for both the tattoo and piercing all at once.

And the one reason why getting them together seems like a better idea to most people, though really not a great reason anyway, is saving time. Realistically, since you're looking at a longer heal time for the piercing overall, you'll balance out getting your tattoo and piercing separately time-wise in the long run, and your body will thank you for treating it kindly as well.

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Inflicting Ink is a Rhode Island Tattoo Studio that embodies quality, consistency and pride, and offers a sterile, safe, comfortable, artistic environment to its customers.  Nominated multiple times for the Best Tattoo Parlor in Rhode Island and Best Tattoo Artist in RI.

You may contact them for an appointment for a tattoo at (401) 683-5680 and of course walk-ins are always welcome.

For more information, please visit our home page at www.inflictinginktattoo.com.