Think twice about tattoos

-"FDA and CDC warn that tattoo ink can be hazardous to your health"

-Karen Kaplan, LA Times

-Published August 23, 2012
-http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-tattoo-ink-infection-20120823,0,6307613.story

There is apparently no law against making tattoo ink sterile, except that it is only supposed to use ingredients that have pre-market approval. Tattoo ink can give people a disgusting infection called nontuberculous mycobacterial. This infection is said to be difficult to treat, and takes a long period of time to heal. "Department investigators ultimately tracked down 14 tattoo parlor customers with definite M. chelonae infections, four more who probably had it, and one more who was suspected of having it. These customers – 13 men and six women – ranged in age from 18 to 48" (Karen Kaplan, LA Times). Kaplan explains that this infection can be received from any tattoo parlor at any age and any gender.The article continues to explain how all but one patient required treatment, and they all healed. Even if a person goes to the number one tattoo parlor in the entire country, there is still the risk of being infected. The FDA inspected a line of premixed inks in Arizona, and found that they contain the same organism that causes the infection, and the company recalled the inks.