Teens and Body Art: Staying Healthy with Tattoos and Piercings

Posted by Susan Halpin on September 19th, 2017 Posted in: Blog

I was reminded of  that memory today because for the first time, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has issued guidelines about tattoos and body piercings. Did you know that 38% of millennials have at least one tattoo and 23 percent have a piercing somewhere other than an earlobe (this information comes from the Pew Research Center)? Whereas, just 6 percent of boomers have tattoos, and just 1 percent with other piercings.

As I drove into work today I listened to an NPR news story about the new body art guidelines. AAPs report “Adolescent and Young Adult Tattooing, Piercing and Scarification” will be published in the October 2017 issue of Pediatrics (available online on September 18^th). As part of the September 18th press conference by lead author and chair of the AAP Committee on Adolescence, Cora C. Breuner, MD, presented recommendations from the nation’s pediatricians. The guidelines address the need to be aware of the health issues tattoos and piercings could potentially cause. In addition to providing health and safety information to patients, the recommendations also will help health care professionals to advise patients and their families when a tattoo or body piercing is being considered. The federal government does not regulate the tattoo and piercing industry. It is a smart idea to know about the rules in your state as the regulations are different in each state. In some states the age for minors is 14 years old, if they have their parent’s permission. Also, what is considered “sanitary” varies greatly from state to state. Take a look at the following link to make sure you know the rules pertaining to body art in your state  http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/tattooing-and-body-piercing.aspx(link is external). Although body art is popular, “Most of my medical colleagues don’t know regulations in the states, complications rates or later impact on young people when looking for a job,” states Dr. Cora Breuner, member of the division of adolescent medicine at Seattle Children’s Hospital and chair of the AAP Committee on Adolescence.

The AAP recommends that pediatricians communicate the importance of hygienic practices such as using new disposable gloves, making sure that needles used are from a sealed, sterile container; and that fresh, unused ink is poured into a disposable container for each new patient. In some states, such as California, practitioners are required to register with the state health department and must submit proof of a hepatitis vaccination, as well as take a yearly course in blood borne diseases and infection. control. If you are considering a tattoo make sure your immunizations are up-to-date, especially tetanus. People who take medications that suppress the immune system, such as steroids or Accutane should avoid both tattoos and piercings.

Additional information for parents can be found on the AAP website, HealthyChildren .org.(link is external) MedlinePlus also has a page providing helpful information about Tattoos and Piercings https://medlineplus.gov/piercingandtattoos.html#cat_83(link is external) . MedlinePlus offers information in several different languages, as well as provides links to journal articles, clinical trials and current news stories related to body art.

The NPR story concluded with some good advice – keep in mind that tattoos are permanent.  Experts often counsel teenage clients to avoid getting a tattoo on a visible part of the body, as many professions are still conservative and avoid hiring people with visible tattoos for some jobs. “Definitely stay away from the face, we call that the job stopper; if you don’t want to get employed, tattoo your face.”

Here’s a link to the September 18^th NPR story by Patti Neighmond:
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2017/09/18/npr-teen-wants-tattoo-pediatricians-say-heres-how-to-do-safely(link is external)

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