Tattoos

Tattoos are pieces of artwork permanently etched into the skin, obtained for any number of personal reasons. Tattooing is an expressive, dramatic, and diverse art (Miller 16). It is "skin art that lasts a lifetime" (Stevens). According to a 2003 Harris Poll, sixteen percent of all adult Americans have at least one tattoo. Thirty-six percent of these are between ages twenty-five and twenty-nine. Although tattooing has recently grown in popularity due to enforcement of sanitation regulations and advancements in artwork, it is by no means a new art. "The practice of skin ornamentation is certainly as widespread and as ancient as Man himself. It may well have been one of his first conscious acts, which distinguished him from the rest of the animal kingdom" (Scutt and Gotch 21). The first discovered tattoos were found on the Iceman from 3300BC, who was marked with fifty-eight. In the third and fourth dynasties, 2686-2493BC, tattooing was a custom in Egypt. Tattoos were discovered on mummies in Libya dating back to 1300BC, and one thousand years later it was born in Polynesia.

A tattoo is simply ink injected into the skin. Steve Hickman, a tattooed inmate at Trumbull Correctional Facility, defines tattoos as "any kind of permanent markings using ink or an insoluble substance normally using needles to perforate the skin where it administers the ink to the dermal layer." The dermal layer is the second layer of skin. These cells are more stable, so the ink will stay in place and there will be less fading and dispersing of ink. The puncture wound is between one and three millimeters deep.

After the artwork is chosen, the most important aspect of getting a tattoo is the establishment in which it will be administered. A public tattoo parlor should follow the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Universal Precautions. These are regulations that outline procedures to be followed when dealing with bodily fluids (Hyde 1), such as blood and plasma, which are released during the tattooing procedure. This includes the sterilization of tattooing equipment. The ink, ink cups, gloves and

needles are single-use and arrive in sterile packaging. The needle bar and tubing for the tattoo gun are sterilized in an autoclave before each use. An autoclave is a heat, steam, and pressure unit that is also used in hospitals. It runs a fifty-five-minute cycle from a cold start, which kills every organism. The tattoo artist cleans the item and places it in a special pouch which has an indicator strip on it that changes colors when it is sterile (Wilson 2). If the tattoo is being administered privately, such as in prison, there are no standards for sterilization or autoclaves available. "In a tat shop on the street they have heating and chemical treatments," says Steve Hickman. "In the joint [there are] alcohol pads, boiling water, and matches." This is why he says it is important to choose a tattooist who has a reputation for keeping his equipment clean.

In a tattoo parlor, the tattoo will be applied with a tattoo machine, commonly called a tattoo gun, which looks and sounds like a dental drill. This machine was invented by Samuel O'Reilly in the 1800's. He based his design off the autographic printer, the engraving machine that Thomas Edison invented. O'Reilly changed the

tubing systems and modified the "rotary-driven electromagnet oscillating unit to drive the needle" (Wilson 1). The tattoo machine consists of a sterilized needle, the tube systems which draw the ink into the machine, the electric motor, and a foot pedal, much like a sewing machine pedal, to control the vertical movement of the needle (Wilson 1). The ink can either be mixed by the artist or bought premixed (Green 98).

In prison:

there are no Ð''proper' tattoo guns, equipment or needles. A tat gun is constructed with a cassette player motor and a cut down ink pen for the handle, run by a radio

adapter or battery pack. The needles are usually guitar strings, which work best,

or thin paper clips sanded down. Also, there is no real tat ink in [prison]. Fortunate [people can] get [their] hands on some good calligraphy India ink. Otherwise, baby oil [is burned] in a process where soot is collected and mixed with alcohol. Colors can be obtained by certain kinds of gel pens (Hickman).

First the artist will draw free-hand or stencil the design onto the skin. Moses Stevens, exhibiting thirteen tattoos, says, "Most times the tattoo that [is] want[ed] is on paper first then transferred to the skin. That way the picture is already dittoed on [the skin]. It keeps [the artist] from [making] mistakes." Steve Hickman elaborates on this by stating, "Depending on how experienced the artist is, he or she may ink it freehand or use a pre-drawn stencil outline to follow applied by running certain types of deodorant over the area and then laying this stencil carefully over it, pressing firmly for several seconds until the lines from the stencil transfer." Once the stencil is applied, the artist will outline the piece using a single-tipped needle and thin ink. The excess ink is washed off with

soap and water, and the shading begins. Shading uses a thicker ink and a variety of needles to create an even, solid line. The tattoo is cleaned once again. The next step is adding color. The artist will overlap each line of color to avoid what is known as a holiday, an "uneven area where color has lifted out during healing or where an artist has missed" applying the color (Wilson 3). Next is the final cleaning and the application of the bandage.

How much a tattoo hurts depends on many factors. Each individual has a

different pain tolerance. The skill of the artist will play into how much pain is inflicted. For instance, an unskilled tattooist may tattoo deeper than is necessary, thereby causing undue pain and bleeding, or by tattooing too shallowly and causing uneven lines. The location of a tattoo is the greatest influence in how much pain is involved. Areas that are closer to bone, such as the ankle, elbow, and spine, are more tender. Fleshy areas like the upper arm, abdomen, and calf are less irritating. Men prefer to get their arms tattooed, while women prefer the torso, as well as their back and hips (Kienlen 26). The sensation of actually getting tattooed has been described as a hot scratching sensation, bee stings,