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HEXX 235 · Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2007 6:24 pm Post subject: TATTOOING AND MRSA

ANY ONE GOT ANY INFORMATION IN REAGARDS OF MRSA AND TATTOOING?I KNOW ITS SPREADABLE THROUGH OPEN WOUNDS, SO BEING THAT TATTOOING IS OPENING THE SKIN,WHAT NEW PRECAUTIONS ARE BEING TAKEN BY ARTISTS.ANY INFO WOULD BE GREATLY APRECIATED.

Garyzda1 · Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2007 6:31 pm Post subject:

MRSA was first discovered in the 1960's and has been around ever since.(It's not new.) If you follow strict sterilization and cross contamination prevention your risks of having any kind of problems with it are minimal

BTW, your caps lock is on. Smile

TJ_tats · Posted: Sun Nov 04, 2007 8:21 am Post subject:

I just went through my tri annual Blood Bourne Pathogen class with the Department of Health here in Philadelphia. MRSA was talked about because of the recent news, but because it's not new and hasn't been a real problem in tattooing at least not in this area we only discussed it for a few minuets. A good set of standard cleanliness procedures will take care of not transferring it. It is a direct contact transferred disease so solid cross contamination protection procedures should prevent you from transferring it. Here we are required to use barriers on the Table Tops and Bottles in addition to your standard cleaning of all items between procedures. And of course sterile equipment and so on.

According to our Board of Health here in Philadelphia the best way to prevent transferring it is to not work on anyone who possibly has it. Then you have less contamination of the disease therefore harder to transfer.

I myself have avoided tattooing people with seeping lesions my whole carrier for my own safety and any red pimple looking things don't get tattooed either and sometimes MRSA has that look. Also, these people damn sure don't get into my tattooing area. My philosophy has always been if I think the customer has anything that can contaminate me, my work area or another customer I’m not working on them. Better safe then making a buck or two. I leave junkies alone also as best I can, “Yes I look for tracks if someone looks like they partake in drugs” I know it’s not perfect but I think it helps.