here is a bit of usefull info concerning medical conditions and tattoos
if you have one of the conditions listed here you should seek your doctors advice before being tattooed

DIABETES
diabetes is a serious blood condition in which the blood sugar levels cannot be controlled by the body, usually the condition occurs when the human body quits producing insulin, or rejects the insulin it does produce, diabetics who get tattoos can have serious healing problems if blood sugar levels are not kept at normal levels.


RED CELL DISEASES

ANEMIA-
anemic people have a condition that causes the red blood cell count to go low (usually destroyed), causing the heart to work much harder to supply oxygen enriched blood to the body (red cells carry oxygen) healing will be slowed on anemic people not to mention with the heart pushing more pressure the bleeding factor is greatly increased.
there are a few types and causes for anemia here the most common

G6PD DEFICINCY.
G6PD is an enzyme that helps to protect red blood cells from the destructive effects of certain chemicals found in foods and medications. When the enzyme is deficient, these chemicals can cause red cells to hemolyze, or burst. G6PD deficiency is a common hereditary disease among people of African, Mediterranean, and Southeast Asian descent.

HEREDITARY SPHEROCYTOSIS (pronounced: sfeer-o-sye-toe-sus)
is an inherited condition in which red blood cells are misshapen (like tiny spheres, instead of disks) and especially fragile because of a genetic problem with a protein in the structure of the red blood cell. This fragility causes the cells to be easily destroyed.

AUTOIMMUNE HEMOLYTIC ANEMIA.
Sometimes - because of disease or for no known reason - the body's immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys red blood cells.

SICKLE CELL ANEMIA
most common in people of African descent, is a hereditary disease that results in the production of abnormal hemoglobin. The red blood cells become sickle shaped, they cannot carry oxygen adequately, and they are easily destroyed.

WHITE CELL DISEASES

NEUTROPENIA (pronounced: noo-truh-pee-nee-uh)
Neutropenia occurs when there aren't enough of a certain type of white blood cell to protect the body against bacterial infections

HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS (HIV)
HIV is a virus that attacks certain types of white blood cells (lymphocytes) that work to fight infection. Infection with the virus can result in AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome), leaving the body prone to infections and certain other diseases.

LEUKEMIAS (pronounced: loo-kee-mee-uhz)
Leukemias are cancers of the cells that produce white blood cells. These cancers include acute myeloid leukemia (AML), chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).


DISEASES OF PLATELETS

THROMBOCYTOPENIA (pronounced: throm-buh-syte-uh-pee-nee-uh)
Thrombocytopenia or a lower than normal number of platelets, is usually diagnosed because a person has abnormal bruising or bleeding. Thrombocytopenia can happen when a person takes certain drugs or develops infections or leukemia or when the body uses up too many platelets. Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is a condition which the person's immune system attacks and destroys his or her own platelets.

CLOTTING SYSTEM

HEMOPHILIA (pronounced: hee-muh-fil-ee-uh),
Hemophilia is an inherited condition that almost exclusively affects boys, involves a lack of particular clotting factors in the blood. People with severe hemophilia are at risk for excessive bleeding and bruising after dental work, surgery, and trauma. They may experience episodes of life-threatening internal bleeding, even if they haven't been injured.

VON WILLEBRAND DISEASE
Von Willebrand disease the most common hereditary bleeding disorder, also involves a clotting-factor deficiency. It affects both males and females.

Other causes of clotting problems include chronic liver disease (clotting factors are produced in the liver) and vitamin K deficiency (the vitamin is necessary for the production of certain clotting factors).

HEART AND VASCULAR DISEASES

People with heart and vascular conditions may be on blood thinning drugs, people considering tattoo work who are on these blood thinning agents should consult with thier doctor before getting tattooed



I YOU HAVE ANY OF THESE CONDITIONS PLEASE SEEK QUALIFIED MEDICAL ADVICE BEFORE GETTING TATTOOED, ALSO LET YOUR ARTIST KNOW OF YOUR CONDITION BEFORE YOU GET YOUR WORK DONE. A GOOD TATTOO ARTIST WILL UNDERSTAND, AND QUITE POSSIBLY WORK WITH YOU AND YOUR DOCTOR.

ALSO OF NOTE ALL PERSONS ARE REQUIRED BY LAW TO DISCLOSE THE FACT OF BEING HIV POSITIVE TO PERSONS WHO WORK WITH BODILY FLUIDS. FAILURE TO DO SO COULD RESULT IN FELONY PROSECUTION. not to mention it takes a really sick rotten bastard to not tell his tattooist he has HIV or AIDS.


hope this helps everyone, i have listed those that i can remember, there may be more that I am unaware of. the AMA and the RED CROSS have alot of information concerning all of these conditions.

no, Im not a doctor, I am a knowlegable tattoo artist (my training took longer) hehe

We appreciate all this info I for one am going to print this out and make all my peeps memorize it...including myself!...TAz

I recently learned that the guy who tattooed both me and a friend of mine (several times each) has Aids. He did not inform us himself, we found out through someone he confided to. (now, I realize that it would have to be first-hand knowledge if it got legal) He tattoos hundreds of people a week and from what I understand has ACTIVE aids virus.

This is illegal, correct!? Isn't he required by law to inform his clients? I mean, I know I bleed a great deal when I get tattooed!

He uses clean needs and wraps his gear, but he does get in a big hurry a lot and doesn't always immediately autoclave his equip. between clients. In other words, he gets careless often.

Both me & my friend are quite concerned about this and are both going to get tested next week.

What can we do legally? Anything? I feel like he is putting hundreds of people at risk weekly.

I recently learned that the guy who tattooed both me and a friend of mine (several times each) has Aids. He did not inform us himself, we found out through someone he confided to. (now, I realize that it would have to be first-hand knowledge if it got legal) He tattoos hundreds of people a week and from what I understand has ACTIVE aids virus.

This is illegal, correct!? Isn't he required by law to inform his clients? I mean, I know I bleed a great deal when I get tattooed!

He uses clean needs and wraps his gear, but he does get in a big hurry a lot and doesn't always immediately autoclave his equip. between clients. In other words, he gets careless often.

Both me & my friend are quite concerned about this and are both going to get tested next week.

What can we do legally? Anything? I feel like he is putting hundreds of people at risk weekly.