The craze for tattoo making in youngsters is rising. Be careful before you think of joining this category. Individuals with multiple tattoos covering parts of body are at high risk of acquiring hepatitis C infection- A multinational clinical study warned. Hepatitis C is a silence killer. The majority of individuals with new infection have no symptoms until subsequently after some years when they develop liver cirrhosis or cancer. Only few individuals initially present with the characteristic features of hepatitis, such as jaundice, vomiting, stomach pain, appetite loss and fatigue.

A systematic review of 124 published studies from 30 nations found that people with tattoos had 3 times higher risk of hepatitis C compared to individuals without tattoos. However, in sub-group analyses, the researcher found that non-injection drug users are having almost six times higher risk of such infections. Other risks from tattoo making recognized by the research study comprise allergy, HIV, hepatitis B and other bacterial or fungal infections.

Tattoos have become more and more popular in current years. In the United States about 36% of people under age of 30 have tattoos. Same way, in Canada about 8% of high school scholars has at least one tattoo and 21 % of those who do not have are eager to have one. During tattoo making, the skin is pierced 80 to 150 times in a second to introduce color pigments. As instruments used for tattoo making come in close contact to blood and other body fluids, infection is possible if such instruments are used for more than one person without proper disinfecting and sterilization. Moreover, tattoo dyes are not well preserved in germ-free containers and might also carry infections, they researchers reasoned. The chemical components in tattoo dyes can be house paint, ink used for printers or even industrial carbon. This content is toxic and may enter in kidney or lungs via circulating blood. The study also brought out a new drift in youngsters to have tattooed with dark ink, the harm from which is yet to be establish.

 The researchers concluded that well-defined infection-control guidelines are needed for tattoo artists. Also, inspections, reporting of adverse reactions and record keeping would help in minimizing the risk of infection transmission. There is a need of prevention programs with center of attention on youngsters- the most likely to get tattoos.