#Scuttlebutt tattoo and piercing skin#

Spurred by 19th-century whaling expeditions and long trading voyages, tattooing continued to spread among both naval and merchant seamen-and from them to landlubbers.ĭuring the Civil War, tattoos commemorating the historic clash between the ironclads USS Monitor and CSS Virginia made their way into both navies, along with more general motifs such as military insignia and names of sweethearts. By the late 18th century, around a third of British and a fifth of American sailors had at least one tattoo.

Staving off boredom during long hours at sea, sailors doubled as amateur tattooists.

Tattooing spread quickly from British to American sailors. In fact, the word “tattoo” is derived from the Polynesian tatau, which indicated indelibly marking the human body and phonetically imitated the sound of the rhythmic tapping of traditional tattoo instruments (usually needles fashioned from boar's tusks) used to pierce a subject’s skin. These brought tattoos back to their fellow seamen in Europe and America. Although there are indications that seafarers bore tattoos before the 1700s, Captain James Cook’s voyages of exploration in the Pacific during the second half of the 18th century exposed Royal Navy sailors to Polynesian body art. However, there is no dispute that tattooing was practiced in early societies in Europe and Asia, and by indigenous cultures worldwide for thousands of years. Captain James Cook’s journal, third Pacific voyage (1776–80)ĭespite numerous learned studies and analyses of various aspects of tattooing-sociological, artistic, psychological-the actual lore of this form of body art remains largely non-academic and often based on oral tradition centered around certain tattoo artists and styles. Instruments and supplies that can't be sterilized with an autoclave - including drawer handles, tables and sinks - should be disinfected with a commercial disinfectant or bleach solution after each use.“The universality of tattooing is a curious subject for speculation….” Does the tattoo artist sterilize nondisposable equipment? Make sure the tattoo artist uses a heat sterilization machine (autoclave) to sterilize all nondisposable equipment between customers.Any pigments, trays or containers should be unused as well. Does the tattoo artist use proper equipment? Make sure the tattoo artist removes the needle and tubes from sealed packages before your procedure begins.Does the tattoo artist wear gloves? Make sure the tattoo artist washes his or her hands and wears a fresh pair of protective gloves for each procedure.Check with your city, county or state health department for information on local licensing and regulations. Keep in mind that regulation requirements and licensing standards vary from state to state. Who does the tattooing? Go to a reputable tattooing studio that employs only properly trained employees.

To make sure your tattoo will be applied safely, ask these questions: In some cases, tattoo pigments can interfere with the quality of the image. Rarely, tattoos or permanent makeup might cause swelling or burning in the affected areas during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exams. If the equipment used to create your tattoo is contaminated with infected blood, you can contract various bloodborne diseases - including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), hepatitis B and hepatitis C. Tattooing also can lead to keloids - raised areas caused by an overgrowth of scar tissue. Sometimes an area of inflammation called a granuloma can form around tattoo ink.

#Scuttlebutt tattoo and piercing skin#

A skin infection is possible after tattooing. This can occur even years after you get the tattoo. Tattoo dyes - especially red, green, yellow and blue dyes - can cause allergic skin reactions, such as an itchy rash at the tattoo site. Tattoos breach the skin, which means that skin infections and other complications are possible, including: In this case, the injury was caused by punctures in the skin during tattooing. A granuloma is a small area of inflammation caused by tissue injury or the body's intolerance of a foreign substance.