 What is a tattoo?
A tattoo is a design on the skin that can be either permanent or non-permanent.
Non-permanents are called temporary tattoos. The tattoo piece is pressed on dry skin while a piece of wet cloth is applied to the paper backing to remove it and later, the tattoo can be washed off.
Permanent tattoos on the other hand are made with tattoo needles. These needles are attached to needle bars that can punctures the skin at 50 to 3,000 times a minute. Professionals know how deep to pierce the skin to create a permanent line. Going too deep will cause pain to the person getting the tattoo, and not going deep enough will result in scratchy lines. The length of time it takes for the tattoo to be finished depends on the intricacy and size of the design.
What are the health risks?
There are health risks that are attached to getting a tattoo. They are tuberculosis, HIV and hepatitis B and C. The tattoo needles need to be sterilized after each use by using proper sterilizing equipment. There are standards set out by The Alliance of Professional Tattooists which the professional tattooist should follow. Getting tattoos done by professionals who adhere to these rules will minimize the health risks.
Things to Consider before getting Tattooed
In the past 20 years tattoos have gone from the fringe of society to the cultural mainstream. People young and old, men and women, are getting tattooed in increasing numbers. Some of these tattoos are successful expressions of personal philosophies and beliefs while others are permanent blunders that lead to dissatisfaction.
If you are considering getting your first tattoo design, then you need to think about several factors so as to increase your chances of long term happiness with the skin art that will become a permanent part of your body and appearance.
1. Why are you getting a tattoo?
 This is the most basic question, but honestly assessing your motivations for adding a tattoo to your skin is critical. Good reasons for getting your tattoo include the desire to memorize a lost loved one, adding artwork to your body that is personally pleasing or meaningful, and exploring your spiritual awareness through skin art. Bad reasons for getting a tattoo include trying to be cool on spring break, expressing devotion to a lover and/or spouse (the number one candidate for tattoo removal by the way), and merely for the sake of rebellion. Upon analyzing your reasons for getting tattooed, you should get a sense of how comfortable you feel with them. Do your motivations ring true? Do you think they will remain valid for you 10, 20, 30 and more years down the road?
2. Who will be your tattoo artist?
You need to be confident in the skill and professional demeanor of your tattoo artist. Being tattooed is a fairly intimate procedure in which the tattoo artist will be injecting ink into your skin while you hold still. This can sometimes take hours to accomplish. Simply walking into a tattoo studio and letting anyone tattoo you without any preliminary assessment could produce the wrong results. Before getting a tattoo, you should ask to see samples of the artist's work and discuss your various concerns about safety and hygiene for the procedure. The tattoo artist should be attentive to your aesthetic goals and willing to discuss any aspect of the tattoo process.
3. What do I need to know about healing from a tattoo?
 When people get tattoos, they are prepared for some pain, but not everyone considers the length of the healing process and the precautions against infection that are necessary. Depending on the size and location of the tattoo, healing can take several weeks and during that time you will need to apply various protective ointments, wash the wound, and often apply bandaging. You also must avoid baths, swimming, and hot tubs during your healing period. Skin wounds are easily susceptible to infection and you need to commit to taking proper care of your new tattoo. Failure to do so can expose you to serious skin infection and ruin the tattoo.
Your decision to get a tattoo design should not be made lightly or quickly. Should you decide later that you dislike your tattoo, keep in mind that tattoo removal can cost up to 10 times the cost of the original tattoo and be a prolonged and painful process involving multiple laser treatments. When approached correctly, however, tattoos can become a pleasing form of self expression that you appreciate every day.
Can a tattoo be removed?
There are several factors that must be considered for the successful removal of a tattoo:
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Ink injected evenly on the same level of skin or many levels of skin? Chances are better if the ink was injected on the same level.
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Size and location of the tattoo.
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The age of the tattoo (how long ago was it done?) Newer ones are harder to take off.
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How well the person will heal from the removal procedure.
 Total and complete removal is never guaranteed. The pain from getting a tattoo is far less than the pain of getting it removed. The standard today for tattoo removal is with laser surgery. It is easier to remove certain colors than others, for example yellow and blue are the hardest to remove.
The technique used with this laser technology is called Q switching. There are three lasers that use this technique; the Q-switched Ruby, the Q-switched Alexandrite, the Q-switched Nd (YAG).
It usually takes more than one session to remove the tattoo. A side effect of this procedure is hyper- pigmentation and hypo-pigmentation. Hyper-pigmentation is where the skin color is darker than normal and hypo-pigmentation is where the skin color is lighter than normal.
Cost of tattoo removal
The cost is certainly high and would depend on several factors like how many sessions it would take to removal the tattoo. Health insurance will not cover this procedure so this would be a big out of pocket expenditure. So do think carefully before getting a tattoo and if you decide to get one, get it done by a professional.
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