When 16-year-old Autumn Lane’s mother discovered her daughter’s tongue had been pierced, she sat teary-eyed and speechless. Autumn had asked on a number of occasions for a piercing— Ann had okayed the navel but had drawn the line at the tongue. Yet, Autumn had gone ahead and disobeyed her mother.

Body art— whether it is holes in the earlobe or an intricate rose tattooed on the hip— has been common for centuries. In ancient Egypt, royal families often pierced their navels to represent their supreme social standing, and tattooed their mummies, as did Incas, Mayans and Aztecs. The Vikings tattooed family crests and tribal symbols on their bodies, while the Romans associated ear piercing with wealth and luxury. And nose piercing dates back to more than 4,000 years ago in the Middle East, then spreading to India where many women adorn their noses.

However, it’s the Western world that has used piercing and tattoos as an expression of individuality— it was popular during the hippie era of the 1960s, enjoyed a resurgence in the 1980s with punk rockers, and is as trendy as ever today.

But just because royal families, pharaohs and sailors have used body art, does not mean that you need a piercing or a tattoo. Only you (and your parents) can make that decision.

Be aware, however, that body piercing and tattooing are unregulated in most states and are illegal in some. In many states, tattoo artists must meet state sanitation requirements and have a permit, and in some states, it’s illegal to tattoo anyone younger than age 18.

Before you consider any body art, do some research. Consider these facts and tips to guide you as you (and your parents) make the decision to let the needle fall where it may.

Holes Here and There
Body modification today goes far beyond the traditional pierced ears. Piercing sites now include the ear cartilage, tongue, lips, eyebrows, nipples, navel and genitals. In a 2002 study of 454 university students, more than one-half said they have a body piercing and about a quarter said they have a tattoo. The Mayo Clinic reported that of those students with piercings, nearly one in five reported a medical complication due to the procedure itself or how they cared for the piercing afterward. Complications include bacterial infection, bleeding and injury or tearing at the site.

The American Dental Association opposes tongue, lip or cheek piercings and calls it a public health hazard, while The American Academy of Dermatology has taken a position against all forms of body piercing. And both the U.S. and Canadian Red Cross won’t accept blood donations from anyone who has had a body piercing or tattoo within a year because both procedures can transmit dangerous blood-borne diseases.

Those who are pierced run the risk of chronic infection, prolonged bleeding, scarring, hepatitis B and C, tetanus, skin allergies to jewelry, abscesses or boils, permanent holes in nostrils or eyebrows, chipped or broken teeth or choking from mouth jewelry. Ear lobes, however, are generally safe to pierce because the lobe is made of fatty tissue and has a good blood supply, which can help prevent infection.

Lydia, 37, wanted to make sure her 13-year-old’s belly button piercing was safe and supervised. She had heard too many horror stories about kids being pierced by friends in less-than-sterile environments. But Lydia discovered the shop her daughter Kelsey was referred to was less than ideal. “It was a pretty grimy place. The procedure itself was sanitary with sterilized equipment and antiseptic, but the place was a dive,” says Lydia, adding that it was one of the few places the family found that would pierce a 13-year-old.

If you are intent on a piercing, make sure the shop:
• is clean. •avoids the use of piercing guns, which aren’t sterile. •uses needles once and disposes of them in a special container. •sterilizes everything that comes near the customer in an autoclave (a device that uses steam, pressure and heat for sterilization). •has a piercer who wears disposable gloves and mask.

Keep a close eye on after-care. Do not to pick or tug at the area pierced, keep it clean with soap (not alcohol) and do not touch the area without washing your hands first. Those who have a mouth piercing should use an antibacterial mouthwash after eating.

Skin Art
A tattoo is a permanent mark or design made on the body with pigment inserted into the dermal layer of the skin through ruptures in the skin’s top layer. A small needle pierces the skin repeatedly— an action that resembles that of a sewing machine— inserting tiny ink droplets with each puncture. A small tattoo on average takes about 45 minutes, and a larger tattoo may take several hours and possibly several visits.

Before you indulge in a permanent tattoo, remember that tattoos are painful, tatoos can be extremely expensive to remove and health risks are involved.

If you are intent on a tatoo, make sure the studio:
• is clean, safe and professional.

You can call your local health department to ask for recommendations and check for any complaints about a certain studio. Keep in mind the following questions:
• Is there an autoclave? You should be allowed to watch as needles and any other equipment are sterilized in the autoclave.
• Is the person giving the tatoo a licensed practitioner? If so, the tattoo artist should be able to provide you with references.
• Are “universal precautions” followed? These are precautions listed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) that outline a certain procedure to be followed when dealing with bodily fluids (in this case, blood). If the tatoo artist answers “yes” to this question, it should mean that guidelines for preventing infections are always followed.

Most of all, trust your gut. Getting a tattoo at a place that doesn’t adhere to these regulations puts you at risk for HIV, hepatitis and tuberculosis. Those who do get a tattoo, should take care of it until it fully heals— protecting it by applying antibiotic cream and wearing sunscreen or covering it while in the sun.

Kathleen E. Conroy is a mother of two children and a freelance writer and editor living in Charlotte, North Carolina. She can be reached at suprwriter@carolina.rr.com.