Things to know about tattoos

You must be 18 or over to be tattooed in the UK (proof of age is needed).

A reputable tattooist won't work on necks, faces, heads or hands, or tattoo someone who's under the influence of drink or drugs.

The most painful areas to tattoo are above bone (elbow, knee, shin or collar bone), on the inside of the upper arm and inside the thigh or on the lower back.

Tattoos can be a problem in some jobs. Home Office guidance says applicants to join the police can be rejected if their tattoos are considered 'rude, lewd, crude, offensive, homophobic, violent, intimidating or are (or appear aligned with organisations that are) racist or sectarian'.

Infections

Infections passed on through tattooing are most likely when it's done in prisons or by amateur, do-it-yourself or unregistered tattooists working from home. Then viruses in blood such as HIV and hepatitis C can be spread through contaminated needles and inks.

UK tattoo parlours should, by law, be registered with and approved by the local Environmental Health Department. They should follow strict hygiene controls, such as sterilising equipment and using fresh needles (from sealed packets) and ink (from disposable pots) for each customer. Risk of infection is further cut by tattooists wearing latex gloves and washing hands.

Although you're very unlikely to get an infection from being tattooed from a reputable tattooist in the UK, blood donations are not accepted from people who've been tattooed in the previous six months. Extra tests are on done on blood given by people tattooed between six and 12 months previously. This is to cut the risk of someone giving blood infected with hepatitis or HIV before it can be detected in tests.

Tattoo removal

Complete removal of a tattoo is not easy. Success depends on size, position, colours used and how deep ink is in the skin. Black and blue are easiest to remove. Professionally done designs are harder to get rid of than amateur tats.

Removing tattoos used to mean cutting skin out, then grafting on skin from a less visible part of the body, leaving two parts of the body scarred. Dermabrasion was another option: the top layer of skin is rubbed away like when sanding wood, with dressings used to soak up the ink. If a lot of skin was taken away a skin graft may have been needed.

Laser removal

Removal today is usually by laser. Light from the laser breaks up the ink, which is then taken away by the immune system's scavenger cells. There's usually only slight scarring. It can take many visits (a dozen or more is not unusual), with a month between treatments, and even then it might only make the tattoo fainter.

Laser removal often it only makes the design fainter, but for some it can make the tattoo disappear, leaving only a slight difference in skin tone. These differences can be more noticeable in brown or black skins, so laser treatment might not be best for all skin types.

Laser removal is often described as feeling like an elastic band is being flicked against the skin. A pain-killing cream can be applied first.

Cost

Tattoo removal can cost a lot and isn't usually available on the National Health Service. Your doctor will tell you if you might qualify for free removal, which is possible if the tat causes you a lot of upset or aggro.

Alternatives

One option might be covering the unloved tattoo with another, larger and darker design.

You may see tattoo removal creams advertised. At best these might partially fade a tattoo; at worst they make no difference.