Teens no longer need to go to a tattoo parlor to get ink. And that’s worrying doctors.
Stick-and-poke tattoos are created with craft store ink and a sewing needle.
Senior Claire Piña has tried this DIY tattoo. She chose a frowny face for her middle finger.
“At the time I really liked this rapper and he had it…I don’t have it because of him, I just thought it was a cool tattoo,” Piña said.
According to NPR, doctors are urging kids to know all of the medical consequences before making final decisions. Stick-and-poke tattoos can come with blood borne diseases such as Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and Syphilis.
“I put a band-aid over it for awhile, but at some point I had to let it air out,” Piña said.
Her parents weren’t as fond of the tattoo as she was; they found out about six months later. Piña said her parents wished her tattoo wasn’t in such a public spot because it could affect her job opportunities.
English teacher Sahar Mustafah has a few tattoos that she got professionally: the word “pen” written in Arabic, which represents her writing; flowers with text “The Mad Woman” in Arabic above it, which represents her mother’s battle with mental illness; and Picasso’s “Dove of Peace.”
Mustafah has a strong opinion on the fact that teens are beginning to imprint tattoos on their bodies themselves. She went to a professional artist on the North side of Chicago, and she was advised to take well care of her tattoos.
“I would advise students to wait until they’re absolutely certain about an image they’d like to make permanent on their body. If it’s a fleeting feeling, they might regret it later. I never thought I’d get a tattoo until I began to seriously write fiction and explore my family history,” Mustafah said.
Senior Tamila Dozier got a tattoo professionally done at the age of 16 at a tattoo parlor named Ink-N-Um located in Calumet City. Dozier’s mother had to sign permission since Illinois law states a minor, ages 14-18, needs parental permission to get a tattoo.
“Currently I have one, but I plan on getting one on my birthday, which is coming up, and a couple more before the school year ends,” Dozier said.
She spent $400 on her first tattoo, which took about two and a half hours. Dozier got a dream catcher for her grandmother that passed away because she used to make them and plans to get a matching tattoo with her mom.
When she came home from the tattoo parlor, she realized that her new ink would be a force to be reckoned with.
“You wrap it when you leave the tattoo parlor and by the time you get home you can take [the bandage] off. The tattoo starts to itch a lot and you can’t scratch it because you’ll mess it up,” Dozier said.