For a tattoo artist, it’s important to know that not everyone can be tattooed.
In fact, there are categories of clients for whom it is legally forbidden to get tattoos, and specific pathologies and conditions for which getting tattooed is highly unadvised.
Knowing all the situations where a tattoo is forbidden, contraindicated, or unadvised is fundamental for anyone who wants to practice as a tattoo artist.
Who Cannot Be Tattooed
As we mentioned, there are certain categories of people who cannot and should not be tattooed.
Let’s start with age: according to Italian law, only adults can get tattooed, as they have reached full independence and freedom of choice.
Minors between 16 and 18 years old must have the consent of both parents, while under 16 years old, any type of tattoo is absolutely forbidden.
Another category of people for whom tattoos are forbidden are pregnant or breastfeeding women.
The reason is simple: during pregnancy, a woman’s immune system is weaker and she may be more susceptible to infections. Furthermore, some pigments used in tattoos could be harmful to the baby.
Another condition that prohibits tattooing is drug addiction: alcohol and drugs alter blood circulation, making tattoo healing complex.
Finally, not all skin areas can be tattooed:
- areas that have undergone plastic surgery
- areas with recent scars
- areas that have undergone laser removal
- areas tattooed less than 2 months ago
- areas with a high presence of freckles and moles
When It’s Not Recommended to Tattoo a Client and Why
After analyzing the conditions under which it is forbidden to perform tattoos, we will now focus on all situations where it is highly contraindicated or unadvised to proceed with a tattoo.
In most cases, these are individuals with specific pathologies.
For example, people with blood clotting disorders and a tendency to hemorrhage or who are taking chemotherapy drugs, anticoagulants, and immunosuppressants: these conditions can compromise wound healing and increase the risk of complications.
Even those with a history of allergic reactions to tattoo pigments should be careful: the chemicals present can cause skin irritation or even severe allergic reactions.
Another category of people to evaluate carefully before performing a tattoo is diabetics: due to reduced blood circulation and compromised immune system function typical of this disease,
the tattoo healing process can be slower and more complicated.
Furthermore, diabetics are more susceptible to infections, and the wounds caused by the needle during the procedure can become an entry point for bacteria or other pathogens.
A very similar situation applies to people suffering from hemophilia, who risk excessive bleeding during the tattooing process due to blood clotting problems.
The insertion of pigments into the skin through the needle can cause micro-lesions that could lead to prolonged bleeding and a high risk of infection.
Epilepsy is also a factor to check before tattooing a person: due to increased sensitivity to stimulation, the act of tattooing can trigger epileptic seizures in predisposed individuals.
Moreover, a tattoo can cause physical and emotional stress, which in turn can increase the likelihood of having an epileptic seizure.
Tattooing people with hepatitis should also be carefully evaluated, due to slow wound healing and the high risk of infection caused by a compromised immune system due to the disease.
Then there are a whole series of skin alterations that make tattooing problematic and difficult, such as:
- albinism: tattoos can cause skin damage due to the lack of pigmentation and the high hypersensitivity associated with this condition
- vitiligo: tattoos can make skin color differences even more noticeable and may not have the desired effect.
In both cases, already sensitive skin could react negatively to the pigments used in tattooing, causing long-term health problems.
MTS Tattoo Operator Course Prepares You to Recognize Who Not to Tattoo and When It’s Not Recommended
As we explained in this article, there are categories of people who are legally forbidden to tattoo and individuals for whom it is unadvised to proceed with a tattoo.
These are fundamental notions for anyone who wants to pursue a career as a tattoo artist: those who lack this knowledge risk causing more or less serious harm to clients’ health and incurring sanctions and even criminal consequences.
For this reason, it is important to choose the right training course to enter the professional tattoo world with all the necessary information, skills, and tools to perform the tattoo artist profession autonomously and correctly.
The 1500-hour Tattoo Operator Course is starting soon at Milano Tattoo School.
This is a comprehensive program that provides technical and artistic preparation with classroom lessons and laboratory sessions for practical experience in creating about 30 tattoos of different styles.
The course issues the Professional Certification from the Lombardy Region as a Tattoo Operator and access to internship opportunities at renowned studios in Lombardy.
The next Tattoo Operator course at Milano Tattoo & Piercing School starts on October 9, 2023, and spots are limited.