Body inking, such as tattoo, is a way to express ones belief, thinking and the pains or joy of the phase one is going through in life. People get tattoos for various reasons ranging from expressing love, quotes symbolising their psychology, beauty, pets, traditions or spiritual beliefs, loyalty and support towards a sport or a celebrity and many more reasons.

Irrespective of the reasons why individuals get tattoos, not many people truly understand the chemicals and ingredients that go into their tattoos.

In a chat with Mr. Bosun, he said “Nothing really inspired me to get a tattoo. I had tattoo because I love it and I want to have it on my body. I have tattoo on my chest and on my hand. It wasn’t really painful getting them.”

Speaking of the chemicals and equipment used, he said, “I can’t name them but I know it includes inks and a machine that’s like an injection.”

Speaking on the impact of tattoo on health, a Consultant Public Health Physician, Dr. Imeh Okon, said Inking was not advisable, adding, “Tattoo inks are not entirely safe, because they contain some chemicals that reacts to the skin negatively.

Apart from that some of them require incisions. They make cuts before applying the inks and if this is done it’s even more toxic because the ink can easily go through the blood stream and affect other parts or organs of the body.

“The kidneys are very sensitive to chemicals, which can enter into the bloodstream and damage the kidneys.”

Imeh explained that the skin is more elastic at a younger age and it wrinkles as one gets older, interfering with the normal ageing process.

According to her, making incisions on the skin only makes ageing faster. “Tattoos have effects on the skin. It can damage the skin; it can wear the skin out early and can shrink the elasticity of the skin. Infections like HIV, hepatitis A and others can be gotten from the equipment used for these incisions.”

She advised the public to avoid adding chemicals on their body saying, “We should keep our bodies the way they are because the more you add artificial things the more you endanger it.

The skin is a natural covering of the body and other organs and if it is endangered, the underlying parts of the body will only be put to more danger including diseases and infections the person did not bargained for when you were getting the tattoo.

However, she cautioned that if anyone tries to get a tattoo, get the one that wouldn’t require an incision, getting just the ink will be healthier and safer.”

A tattoo artist disclosed that there are two types of tattoo the permanent and temporary one, which last for about three to six months. He said the price of tattoo begins from $10 to over $65, depending on the size and complexity of the design.

Although the tattoo artist said there are temporal tattoo, Wikipedia stated, “Tattoo ink is generally permanent. Tattoo removal is difficult, painful, and the degree of success depends on the materials used. Recently developed inks claim to be comparatively easy to remove. Unsubstantiated claims have been made that some inks fade over time, yielding a ‘semi-permanent tattoo.’

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