Almost everything on our planet has good and bad sides, and the tattoo is no exception to it. Millions of people across the world love getting them inked with one or more favorite tattoo designs. While the mass considers tattoo to boast self-expression, individuality, or to draw the attention of people, many choose for spiritual or cultural traditions. Therefore, if you’re considering getting tattooed, knowing its good and bad sides is important for you. Let’s focus on it.

The Good

Boosts Confidence and Self-esteem

A study establishes a correlation between tattoos and self-confidence. Similar to having revamped hairstyle or cosmetic dentistry that increases one’s confidence level, having one or more tattoo help boost your self-confidence level. Having a unique tattoo also make you express your personality, taste, and outlook. It can make you a focal point in the mass.

Improve Immune Systems

Don’t get surprised to know that having multiple tattoos boost your immune system. A study organized by the American Journal of Human Biology reveals that multiple tattoos can help strengthen the immune system and its response. The scientific reasons are 1) it can support keeping the balance steady of immunoglobulin-A, deficiency of which weaken your immunity. 2) Having tattoos helps by stimulating your immune response. In fact, Immunoglobulin A is a powerful antibody that aids our immune system, respiratory system, and gastrointestinal system. As it strengthens your immune response, once the system identifies a foreign invader like any virus in your body, it instructs the antibodies to attack and kill them.

Helps Lessen Stress

The above study also shows that having multiple tattoos helps reduce the cortisol level which is a stress hormone. While the increasing rate of cortisol leads to various psychological detriments like migraines, weight gain, disrupted memory, and learning or raise blood pressure, tattoos make the cortisol hormone less active even when that increases.

The Bad

Tattoo Regret

The foremost bad thing about tattoos can be understood from the statistics showing that 3 out of 4 people with tattoos experience tattoo regret at different times in their life and for varied reasons. This is the cause that almost all tattoo studies offer tattoo removal services today. Some of the reasons that lead to tattoo regret include

• Change of outlook with adulthood.

• Change of personality while that tattoo loved once doesn’t match one’s current lifestyle.

• For professional needs as most employers dislike hiring candidates with tattoos.

• Due to its unprofessional look.

• Having a tattoo of someone’s name or symbol is no more in his/her life.

• It’s also worth noting that the cost of tattoo removal is likely to be 10 times more than having a tattoo.

Risk and Side effects of Tattoo

While considering a tattoo, you need to understand how it can affect your skin as well as your wellbeing. The side effects are experienced relative – varying between individuals. A person may experience tattoo-related skin problems like Granuloma. The likelihood of skin infection is always there as pigments of tattoo are placed beneath 1.5 – 2 mm by breaking the skin surface. The possibility increases especially when poor quality inks or contaminated inks or tools are used. Issues may include

Skin infection – if bacteria like Staphylococcus, Streptococcus enter your bloodstream it may lead to varieties of skin infections.

Allergic reactions – Tattoo colors- particularly red, green, blue, and yellow may result in allergic skin reactions, like prickly rash or swelling in the tattoo area.

Other skin problems – although rarely reported by inflammation of the area or granuloma can form. Tattooing can also lead to keloids – scar tissues.

Blood-borne diseases – if the tools like needles or ink used for tattooing are contaminated, you can suffer from blood-borne diseases like hepatitis/C, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), HIV, etc.

Conclusion:

As per the last survey, around 40% of Americans aged 18-69 have a minimum of one tattoo. Also, 1 in 4 of those are having multiple tattoos. Another study shows that the rate of skin infection experienced by people stands between 0.5–6 %. Noteworthy, one of the leading reasons that make people suffer from such health hazards is the use of inferior grade inks, contaminated tools, inks apart from negligence to maintain absolute hygiene practices in poor class settings. It is said that -good tattoos are not cheap and cheap tattoos are not good. So, before having a tattoo, make sure to go for a reputed tattoo parlor that maintains safety precautions as per standard.