HEALTH & SAFETY
Being responsible artists, we are concerned about your health and safety as you obtain your new tattoo or body piercing. One of the biggest topics affecting our industry right now is the development of stronger and more aggressive strains of Staph. Here is some information so you can make a safe decision, whether it be at our wonderful studio or another.
MRSA and VRSA are strains of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) bacteria. S. aureus is a common type of bacteria that normally live on the skin and sometimes in the nasal passages of healthy people. MRSA/VRSA refers to S. aureus strains that do not respond to some of the antibiotics used to treat staph infections.
For more information on MRSA: http://www.cdc.gov/mrsa/
How does this affect you? Since this bacteria exists on your skin, a break in your skin (ex: tattoo or piercing) and a low immune system makes the perfect cocktail for this to become a problem. We use antimicrobial skin cleansers to prepare the area before tattooing and piercing. This significantly decreases the possibility of a staph infection. Staying updated on new products is just one of the many things we do to insure your safety. We are also trained in Bloodborne Pathogens and Preventing Cross Contamination. The knowledge acquired from these annual courses keeps our staff skilled in proper hand washing and glove donning techniques which is paramount to your health and safety.
There are other potentially harmful bacteria that pose a threat to you and your new modification. An easy way to contract them would be to prematurely expose your tattoo or piercing to a body of water. This includes oceans, lakes, and even personal swimming pools and hot tubs.
