Home Tattoo Risks

When done right, tattooing is an art form, but in the wrong hands, the results could leave you with a skin infection or be downright deadly. 

"The worst case scenario,"says Dr. John Ven Glarcik, "you could get things like blood born pathogens; HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, all of which have serious if not potentially fatal complications."

Debbie Lenz has worked as a tattoo artist for three decades and owns Artistic Dermagraphics in Boardman.  She says she hears horror stories of people getting tattooed out of someone's house or garage everyday.  "My prediction, you know, being around this business for more than 30 years, is that eventually, you know, within the next 10 years or so, there's going to be a surge of Hepatitis C cases which is going to be devastating."

Lenz sits on the Tattoo Advisory Committee on the Board of Health and says in their last meeting she was told about World War II veterans who were dying of liver disease in their later years after getting homemade tattoos in their youth.  "They had hepatitis and 99% of them had tattoos, so they probably were infected but the hepatitis had lived in their body for so long, that it was just surfacing and was attacking different parts of their body."

Experts warn no matter how good an artist says they are, the only safe way to get a tattoo is through a licensed professional.  "It's not a knock on their reputation or their artistic ability", says Dr. Ven Glarcik, "It's just if you can't prove it, it's not sterile."