Florala

Issue date: 4/7/05 Section: News

Media Credit: Kim West GUESS WHO-Attendees of the tattoo seminar show off their arms.

Bennett Infirmary director Cindy Wood answers questions about sanitary practices in tattoo parlors.

The "Tattoo & Body Piercing Seminar" provided useful information for approximately 30 students and staff in Towers Cafe on March 22.

Resident assistants Kim West and Brenton Allen sponsored the program, and refreshments were served before the seminar began.

Tom Constant, a body piercer at West Coast Tattoos, was the first to speak. He began his speech with a description of his job and then some suggestions. He has been a body piercer for three years.

"If you really want to get something done, you should get it done in your hometown," he said.

Jordan Pratt, a tattoo artist at West Coast, has been a tattoo artist for seven years. He talked about his restrictions on doing tattoos.

"I don't do offensive pictures or gang tattoos," he said.

Amber Privett, a junior majoring in communications, spoke about her bad experience with a body piercing.

"I still have a scar from that piercing," Privett said. "The shop that I got the piercing from closed down two weeks after I got my piercing."

Cindy Wood, director of Bennett Infirmary, gave a speech on the importance of protection from hepatitis and HIV when getting tattoos or a body piercing.

"The most important things to consider if you are thinking about getting a tattoo are the health risks and your safety," she said.

Wood included several safety tips:

-Make sure that the place you are getting the tattoo from is licensed.

-Never put your partner's name on your body.

-Don't drink when you are getting a piercing or tattoo.

-Make sure the tattooist or piercer sterilizes all the equipment.

-Do not get pierced with a piercing gun.

After the speakers were finished, there was a question-and- answer session. Winners of a free tattoo or body piercing from West Coast were announced, and free rub-on tattoos and stick-on earrings were given out.

Wood closed the seminar with a statement for people who are thinking about getting a tattoo or a piercing.

"The decisions you make between ages 17, 18, and 20 may be different from the decisions you make between 25 and 30."

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools