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Do-it-yourself and at home tattoo kits are growing more popular, but the trend is giving professionals growing concerns.
"Everyone wants to be a tattoo artist, but don't trust your uncle, and don't trust whoever says my buddy is doing it," said Jim Collins, who has been a tattoo artist in the Dayton, Ohio area for over 20 years and is currently the owner of Gem City Tattoo Club.
The main concern the public should be worried about is getting staph infections, Collins said.
"The person doing it at home is just not educated or skilled enough to perform the procedure properly," said Collins.
The at-home tattooing kits are sold online and in flea markets and range in price from $40 to several hundred dollars.
Over the summer, the Food and Drug Administration issued a safety warning to those buying kits after testing ink marketed for in-home use by White and Blue Lion, Inc. and finding bacterial contamination.
One case of a skin infection was confirmed, and White and Blue Lion, Inc. recalled the kits in July, according to the FDA.
The FDA is still concerned about potentially contaminated kits from other distributors and recommends checking ink labels over carefully, avoiding any that have a dragon logo and those that do not have a brand name, manufacturer name, or distributor.
California-based entrepreneur Nicole West said she decided to sell at-home tattoo kits complete with gloves, sterile needles, ink, and safety information, to help those who may have tried a riskier do-it-yourself method.
"People use random objects around the house, not necessarily the best thing for creating a tattoo," West said.
Avoid the problems and risks altogether by going to a professional who is trained and licensed, said Collins.
"Here in Dayton, everybody who is good, has a job tattooing," Collins said.
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