By Chinwe Uzoechi
Notwithstanding that some religions and traditions frown at tattoos, hardly can you see any of the fly-girls without it these days. Most ladies say it can only be seen on the body of only brave ladies who know how to get what they want in life, others argue that it’s a mark of waywardness and irresponsibility , owing to the fact that the bearers would always want to flaunt whichever part of the body is tattooed even to the point of indecency. However, Social disadvantages of tattoos are a common issue for many people with highly visible tattoos. Tattoo placement can negatively impact a person’s life if ink location is not carefully considered. THE WOMAN brings to you the effects of wearing a tattoo: Tattoos may be a passing fad or a peer trend, but the truth remains that tattoos are more common than ever these days.
Nevertheless, they are still viewed as unacceptable in certain aspects of society. Tattoos on areas of the skin is difficult to cover wearing everyday clothing, can result to a major disadvantage. Tattoos in more ways than one can adversely affect an individual leading to among other issues; career limitation, style of clothing, relationship conflicts, decrease in community involvement, negative self-esteem and compromised health. When it comes to getting hired for a job and professionally advancing in many careers, having tattoos is often a disadvantage.
Most professional positions in corporate business, medical, educational, law, and the military, as well as their administrative/support positions discourage hiring individuals with visible tattoos. And, the few professional careers willing to hire individual with tattoos have dress code policies mandating tattoos remain hidden on the job. Having to conceal visible tattoos on a daily basis for work and social events is another disadvantage tattoos bring about.
Finding the right clothing to wear to hide tattoos can be a challenge, especially if tattoos are on areas of the skin not typically covered by clothes. Tattoos located in commonly exposed areas such as arms, necks, ankles, and wrists often require wearing long sleeves and pants regardless of the temperature or if the style trend for women is sleeveless tops and skirts. Special occasions and evening attire limitations are a factor when it comes to dressing up and covering tattoo designs. Personal relationships can be affected by tattoos. Having a tattoo of a former lovers’ name can negatively impact a current relationship. People mistakenly confuse the name of your new love with the one on your arm.
Being a parent with tattoos can create unwanted attention and embarrassment for children being teased by friends and classmates.
Tattoos can hold people back from making positive changes and pursuing a better lifestyle, such as a former gang member no longer associate with gang or street living, but is not welcome into the community for bearing the identifiable gang tattoos. Tattoo disadvantages negatively impact people’s health. Physically, tattoos can cause health complications such as allergic reactions, serious infections, and chronic diseases such as hepatitis B. “It is especially important for consumers to be aware of the potential risks, report any problem that develops to the tattoo artist and see a board-certified dermatologist for proper diagnosis and treatment.
Tattooing inks have changed a great deal over the years and many modern tattoo inks contain organic azo dyes with plastic-based pigments that are also used industrially in printing, textiles and car paint.
Many unknown exist about how these new tattoo inks interact with the skin and within the body. Allergic reaction to the tattoo pigments is one of the most common problems associated with tattooing. Infections also can pose a serious threat to health. Along with localized bacterial infections, there have been reports of people being infected with syphilis and hepatitis B and C due to non-sterile tattooing practices, Shinohara said. Skin cancer is another potential risk associated with tattoos because they can make it hard to detect cancer-related changes in moles. If you get a tattoo, make sure it’s not placed over an existing mole. A tattoo can also cause a reaction that creates a bump that resembles a type of skin cancer called squamous cell carcinoma. Because it is hard to distinguish from skin cancer, the bump could lead to potentially unnecessary and expensive skin cancer treatment, including surgery.
· Go to a professional tattoo parlour and to a tattoo artist who is licensed according to state requirements. Insist on seeing tattoo equipment in sterile packaging.
· Tell the tattoo artist if you have a reaction. If a problem lasts more than one to two weeks, see a dermatologist.
· People with a chronic skin condition such as psoriasis, eczema or a tendency toward colloid scarring should check with a dermatologist before engraving the tattoo.
