Health and Student Services ESP --
Building a Quality Workforce

"Body Art" -- A Dangerous fad

As what is known as "body art" becomes increasingly popular, Health & Student Services ESP must be aware and knowledgeable about the serious health risks associated with it.

What Is Body Art?

The most popular forms of body art are tattooing and piercing. Tattoos are indelible markings of pigment placed under the skin. Piercing involves penetrating the body with a large needle in order to insert jewelry or some form of ornament. The most commonly pierced areas of the body are the ears, nose, eyebrows, tongue, chin, cleft, nipple, navel, and genitals. Between 15 and 20% of students are tattooed or pierced, or both.

Branding, implants, and scarification are more extreme and dangerous types of body art. Their popularity is emerging more slowly among school age populations. Branding involves creating scars on the skin with hot pieces of metal. Scarification is cutting patterns in the skin deep enough to be permanent as a scar. Implanting is inserting metal or plastic under the skin.

Why Is Body Art Popular?

Surveys indicate that students regard body art as a form of self-expression, in spite of the potential for pain and the long-term health risks. Adolescents from all socioeconomic backgrounds and levels of academic achievement are attracted to it. In one Texas study, 65% of the adolescents with tattoos were A and B students. The average age for a first tattoo is around 14, though some children as young as 8 get them. Exposure to body art begins at a very early age with temporary tattoos as toys, and even "Barbie" almost had a butterfly tattoo until parents objected. It is never too early to start talking about body art with children, even second and third graders.

Is Body Art Mediacally Regulated?

Sadly, no. Although some tattoos and piercings are done in studios, they are more frequently done at flea markets or concerts or out of housefronts, cars and vans. It is not unusual for students to pierce or tattoo themselves or their friends. This is especially true for middle school students, who often don't have the resources or the parental consent that most reputable artists require for anyone under the age of 18. Amateur tattooing is performed with crude instruments such as pencils, pens and straight pins, and using charcoal or mascara. Amateur brandings might be done with a hot coat hanger or paper clip. Branding and scarification are extremely dangerous, bordering on self-mutilation. Implanting is officially considered surgery. Only about 15 states have regulations about body piercing; more than half the states have no health regulations at all regarding tattooing. Nationally, there are no training requirements or regulations for "artists" who perform these procedures.

What Are the Health Risks?

Probably the greatest risk associated with body piercing and tattooing is potential transmission of Hepatitis B. This virus can survive on blood-contaminated surfaces for several months, which is why sterile instruments are critical. It is also possible that the HIV virus can be transmitted, but the risk is less because HIV dies at room temperature.

Body piercings also are very susceptible to bacterial infections. Adolescent piercings have a higher incidence of infection because they are often not cared for properly and are often done in high-bacteria areas of the body. Some piercings are more prone to infection than others (such as piercings in the cartilage of the upper ear due to bacteria in hair and pressure applied to the area while sleep-ing). Navel piercings have a 45% infection rate because hygiene is generally poor in that area of the body and the wound is often irritated by tight clothing or waistbands. Navel piercing often takes up to a year to heal properly. One of the challenges Health & Student Services ESP face is to teach students to maintain a strict regimen of post-piercing skin care.

School health professionals also are faced with the daily challenges of allergic reactions, bleeding, tearing, and second and third-degree burns resulting from body art.

The responsibilities for Health & Student Services ESP are many and complex. Information and training are essential for staff as well as children, and should concentrate on reality and honesty rather than scare tactics. In addition to the obvious health and safety issues, Heath & Student Services ESP must interpret and enforce their administrators' expectations regarding body art. Because body art's mainstream popularity is a recent phenomenon, few school districts have any clear or meaningful policy that governs or guides staff. One reason for this is because some school districts believe that talking about body art promotes it, in a way. However, when policy permits school health professionals to educate students before they go through with a procedure, they can become aware of the risks and know what is and isn't safe to do. Health & Student Services ESP need to educate administrations and need policy, guidance, training and support in order to help the students for whom they are responsible. It is important for Health & Student Services ESP to have a dialogue about it in every school.

To Section 7: The MYTH -- "The School Nurse is for Bandaids and Aspirin"