TATTOO-What You Need To Know About It.

In every direction you turn nowadays in Music/Entertainment industries, showbiz arena, sports, Hollywood/Nollywood and virtually in all the elite’s social circles, getting a tattoo is becoming a popular trend. Not unexpectedly, Nigerians, as usual, have not only refused to be left behind in the rush to be identified with this fad, but have resolved characteristically to do it better than those from whom tattoo culture is being copied.

In Nigeria today, those spotting tattoo on different parts of their bodies come from different social and economic class that includes movie stars, musician, market women, bus conductors as well as students and even ‘area boys’.

What I don’t know for sure is wether these new converts to tattoo culture have sat down to weigh the advantages of tattoo against its disadvantages before taking their decision. Like any other decision taken under the sun, getting tattoo is not without is pros and cons. For those who have not yet decided whether to get it or not, going through the pros and cons listed bellow may be of help.

Advantages.

1. Chance to stand out and please yourself.
2, Chance to make a statement to the society that you are a rebel; a nonconformist.
2.  Another advantage of having a tattoo is, it can help your people to identify you if something
     awful happened to you.
3. Another advantage, not to you though, but to the society, is that it makes it easier for security         operatives to apprehend you if you commit any crime.

Disadvantages.

1.    The high financial cost of getting a tattoo.
2.    The pains you have to endure during the making of the tattoo.
3.     Once done, it remains permanent. If you later decide you no longer want it, you will have to pay     through you nose to have it surgically removed. Experts say the price of removal and the         complication with surgery may not worth it in the long run. “Removal”, they say “takes long, is     expensive and can damage skin tissue.
4.    The design or message you choose today you may not like again in years to come. What look        attractive to you at age 25 may look disgusting to you at the age of 30 or 40.
5.    Tattoo carry with it a lot of stigma and according to Shan Lyn Forsythe “it certainly will affect         your chances of getting a well-paying and professional employment”.
6.    Risk of infection. Using unsterilised needles and contents of harmful substances from the ink usd     carry the risk of contracting serious infectious diseases that may include, but not limited to, HIV-    AIDS, Hepatitis B or C, Mycobacterium, Syphilis, Eczema, Cancer and Leprosy.

I believe whoever read through his will be in a better position to take an informed decision.