Health risks related to tattoo procedure

Nowadays, tattoos have become a very common form of body decoration. However, they carry a risk of numerous complications – ranging from allergies to cancer. The study was divided into two parts. Adult persons, 156 men and 149 women, with one or more tattoos, participated in the first part of study. Anonymous respondents filled in the authorial questionnaire consisting of 14 questions and posted on the Internet. The second part of the study concerned of tattoo salons (n=38) employees. The aim of the study was to examine the awareness of people who are tattooing the body about the possible risks associated with such intervention, as well as the ability to obtain information from tattoo artists and analyze client cards in terms of the most important information about tattooing. The second part of the study was devoted to the analysis of the tattoo consent forms. Most tattoo salons clients claimed that they signed a tattoo consent and were informed about contraindications and possible complications. However, only in very rare cases allergic tests were reported. There were few cases of complications among the respondents. There is a need to educate both the clients of tattoo salons and tattooists themselves. Attention should be paid to the necessity of filling in the informed consent.