Branding, cutting and body piercing are unregulated in Georgia and South Carolina

Web posted Dec. 03 at 01:48 AM

 Tattoos can be painful
Teen advises on tattoo problems

By Lori Wiechman
Staff Writer

Local tattoo artists say teens should think before getting a design permanently etched on their bodies.

First, tattooing is illegal in South Carolina. In Georgia, a person must be 18 before getting a tattoo.

In Georgia, tattoo parlors must be inspected by the county's health department. That means a county official must check how clean the furnishings are, how the equipment is kept sterilized, how sanitary the tattoo artists are and even how the client is prepared for the tattoo.

Tattoo rooms, which must be separate from waiting rooms, must have uncarpeted floors and a sink with soap, antibacterial solution, single-use towels and individual hand brushes for each artist.

David Bates, a tattooist who works at Tribal Urge on Broad Street, said he welcomes the check on his parlor and his work. He said county checks reduce the likelihood that people will say tattoo parlors are unsanitary.

Why all this concern about tattoo parlors being sanitary?

``Our primary concern was the transmission of HIV and hepatitis B,'' said Doug McCorkle, a spokesman for the Georgia Department of Human Resources.

There are no regulations on branding (in which a steel cut-out is heated and held �-inch away from the skin), cutting (in which designs are cut into the skin and become more visible as the wound heals) or body piercing.

That means they aren't illegal and parental permission isn't required, although those kinds of body alterations can hurt and could lead to physical problems, such as disease and skin scabbing.

``In any kind of wounding today, you have to have a thought to hepatitis or AIDS,'' said Augusta dermatologist Barry Thompson.

He said he has seen few people with infections from tattoos, branding or cutting but added that he has worked with patients who have scarring from injuries.

Mr. Thompson said teens should consider risk of infection, excessive scar tissue growth and the chances of not being able to get the tattoo or scar removed later in life.

Tattoo removal, which generally costs three times as much as the original tattoo, is something Skin Images II parlor owner Randy Hammond thinks will become more popular.

``Tattoos have grown in popularity tremendously,'' Mr. Hammond said. ``In years to come, there will be a lot of regrets with people who have followed along with the trend.''