Tattoos or body piercings that were done before the mid-1980s or by people who are not professionals (not experts) are especially likely to spread Hepatitis C, since they are more likely to have used tools that were not sterile. Bigger tattoos also seem to put a person at more risk of getting Hepatitis C. The risk of getting Hepatitis C is very high in prisons; in the United States, almost half of all prison inmates share tattooing tools that are not sterile. However, if a tattoo is done in a licensed place of business (which has to follow rules about cleaning tools and preventing diseases from spreading), there is almost no risk of getting Hepatitis C from the tattoo.