Can I Become Infected With Hiv If I Inject Drugs And Share The Needles With Someone Else Without Sterilizing The Needles
We strongly recommend that you use new equipment every time you inject. You can get new equipment from Counterpoint Needle & Syringe Program at Regional HIV/AIDS Connection.
There is a possibility of becoming infected with HIV if you share injecting equipment with someone who has the virus. If HIV infected blood remains inside the needle or in the syringe and someone else then uses it to inject themselves, that blood can be flushed into the bloodstream. Sharing needles, syringes, spoons, filters or water can pass on the virus. Disinfecting equipment between uses can reduce the likelihood of transmission, but does not eliminate it.
How Transmission May Occur
Tattoo artists create their designs by injecting ink into the second layer of a person’s skin, known as the dermis. They do this by using a tattoo machine which punctures the skin with a collection of small, high-speed needles. Body piercing, by contrast, uses a single needle to puncture the skin.
As a result of the broken skin, certain infections can theoretically be passed from one customer to the next if the gun or needles aren’t properly disinfected. But do they?
Are There Any Risks For The Artists
Tattoo artists, dont let stigma fool you. There is almost zero risk for a tattoo artist in getting HIV from inking a client whos HIV positive, especially when following proper hygiene and safety procedures. Licenced artists and parlors should already be using sterilization steps for all equipment and using new or single-use ink pots with each customer. The artist should also be wearing single-use gloves during the tattoo process, so theres zero direct contact with the clients blood.
Theres also a certification available for tattoo artists called the bloodborne pathogen certificate, and its offered by places like the Red Cross. These programs will teach tattoo artists how to minimize their person risk of exposure, as well proper ways to prevent any kind of contamination of equipment or ink. This course can also teach artists more about the virus itself, like the fact that it starts to die as soon it comes into contact with air.
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How To Avoid Getting An Infected Tattoo:
Ideally, you’ll have a problem-free tattoo. Follow Tonkovic-Capins advice for mitigating risk before scheduling your appointment at the tattoo parlor:
Make sure your tattoo artist is licensed. “Ask your tattoo artist how they clean and sterilize the equipment,” says Tonkovic-Capin. “Make sure that they wear gloves during the procedure. After the tattooing is over, your tattoo artist should provide you detailed written instructions on aftercare.
Refer to the FDA for more information about tattoos and preparing for your next tattoo appointment.
How Do You Care For Your Skin After Getting A Tattoo
The healing process for a tattoo can last between two to four weeks. After-care instructions vary among tattoo artists, but they all generally agree with following these strategies. After your appointment, your tattoo will be covered with a bandage or plastic wrapping, which can be removed after about six hours. Wash your tattoo three times per day with unscented antibacterial soap, pat dry with a paper towel, and cover with a thin layer of ointment.
After getting a tattoo, take care to keep the area clean and moist. An occlusive dressing is often applied to protect the skin while the pigment injection sites heal, says Lara Devgan, MD, a top board-certified plastic surgeon in New York City. Avoid strenuous activities, profuse sweating, and contact with contaminated environmental exposures such as sand, oceans, and debris.
Some peeling in the early stages of the healing process is normal, but never try to pick off the crusting that will typically show up on the surface, says Viseslav Tonkovic-Capin, MD, a double board-certified Dermatologist based in the Kansas City metro area and editor of DermBoard.org. Until your tattoo is fully healed, you should also avoid taking baths , swimming, tanning, scratching the tattoo, and touching the tattoo without washing your hands.
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Can You Get Hiv From A Tattoo
- Written By Dan Hunter on July 5, 2021Last Updated: July 6, 2021
There are lots of risks from getting a tattoo as you are inserting needles into your skin, which draws blood. However, the risk of getting HIV from tattoos is very low.
As with everything, you should thoroughly research and prepare before getting a tattoo. Check out the tattoo studio and the artist. Are they hygienic and professional?
Once you are aware of the risks involved this will give you the tools to make sure that you are safe from any infection.
We will share with you all that you need to know about the risks of getting HIV when having a tattoo and how you can minimize the chances to nearly zero.
Everything You Need To Know About Tattoos And Hiv
According to most sources, there have been no documented cases of a single case of HIV being contracted through tattooing. Still, though, were told that getting tattoos is risky because theres a chance of getting this particular disease. Why?
17-08-2020
HIV is a very misunderstood illness, even in 2017. When it comes to HIV and tattoos the messages are pretty mixed. Can people with HIV get tattoos? Is there are risk to a tattoo artist in inking someone whos HIV positive? Does a tattoo heal different on someone with HIV? We looked into all of these questions, and more, to fill you in on everything you need to know about tattoos and HIV.
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Tattoos And Hepatitis C: What Are The Risks
Arm yourself with these facts before you go under the needle.
Unsterile tattooing can transmit the bloodborne hepatitis C virus , and though it is unclear exactly what percent of people with the virus got it through tattooing, a study last year found that people with hep C were almost four times more likely to report having a tattoo, even when other major risk factors were taken into account. What do you need to know to avoid giving or getting hep C during tattooing? We researched six common questions on the topic and found what might be some surprising results.
How can hep C be spread through tattooing?
Hepatitis C can be spread if poor infection control methods are used. Make sure you are visiting a licensed, professional tattoo parlor. When you receive a tattoo, your skin is being pierced by a needle and injected with small amounts of ink. Make sure that the needle is coming out of a new, sterile package, that the tattoo artist is wearing latex gloves, and that all other tattooing equipment has been sterilized.
What percentage of all people with hep C get it through tattooing?
There is not enough research to determine the percentage of people with hepatitis who got it through tattoos. However, a recent study discovered that people with hep C were close to four times more likely to report having a tattoo, even when other risk factors were accounted for.
7. Surfaces and other areas the artist uses to work on should be cleaned regularly with a disinfecting cleaner.
If I Use Drugs How Can I Reduce My Risk Of Hiv
If you inject drugs, avoid sharing needles, syringes or other injecting equipment like spoons or swabs, as this exposes you to HIV and other viruses found in the blood like hepatitis C.
In some countries, used needles can be exchanged for clean ones at pharmacies and needle exchanges. If you take heroin and share needles, you could consider joining a methadone or buprenorphine programme to reduce your risk of HIV. These opioid substitutes are swallowed as a liquid, reducing your risk of HIV as well as helping you to manage your drug addiction. A doctor or healthcare professional can advise you about the availability of needle exchanges and methadone/buprenorphine programmes in your area.
Another option may be to take pre-exposure prophylaxis . This is when you take HIV treatment before possible exposure to HIV to prevent infection. Its now recommended for people who inject drugs, although its only available in certain countries.
There are other things you can do to reduce your risk of HIV from injecting drugs:
- use sterile water to prepare drugs
- use a new or disinfected container and a new filter each time you prepare drugs
- before you inject, clean the area of your body youre going to inject into with a new alcohol swab
- safely dispose of needles and syringes after one use so you dont use them again, and other people arent at risk of accidental exposure.
If you are having a tattoo or piercing, make sure that a clean, sterilised needle is used.
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What Happens If You Dont Care For An Infected Tattoo
If anything strikes you as odd or particularly painful, head to the doctor. Its important to act as soon as you think something is wrong. If you dont care for an infected tattoo, you can risk an undesirable aesthetic appearance of the tattooed area or a disseminated soft tissue infection, says Devgan. Tattoos are controlled injuries to the skin, so they represent a break in the skin that must be treated like an open wound, with great care taken to keep it clean.
Life-threatening conditions are quite rare, but things can still escalate if you ignore treating your infected tattoo. As Tonkovic-Capin explains, If you dont care for the infected tattoo, it sometimes may heal on its own, or it may progress with fever, chills, malaise to becoming critically ill, resulting in sepsis that may lead to death.
How Tattoos Can Spread Hepatitis
Getting a tattoo requires that your skin is pierced by a needle and injected with tiny amounts of ink. The bigger the tattoo, the more injections you’ll need, and each injection brings the needle into contact with your blood . This isn’t a problem if that needle is brand new and never came into contact with any infectious agents. But what happens if the artist already used your needle on someone else? Then you become exposed to any microbes in that person’s blood, including hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and even HIV if he or she harbors those diseases.
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Prioritize The Healing Process
Take steps to make sure you heal properly. Give your new tattoo up to 2 to 3 weeks to properly and fully heal before removing your bandages. Dont pick at any scabs left by the tattoo process.
Contact your doctor immediately if you develop signs of an infection, such as redness or pus drainage, or if your tattoo comes into contact with another persons blood.
HCV may go undetected and undiagnosed for years, even decades. Thats because the virus and infection rarely cause symptoms until the infection has progressed.
In many cases, HCV is found when liver damage is discovered through routine medical testing.
In the early stages, HCV may cause the following symptoms:
Sharing Injection Drug Equipment
most efficiently . This is because used needles and syringes can still contain blood, which can carry the virus.
HIV is not the only virus that can be transmitted by sharing drug injection equipment. The viruses that cause hepatitis B and hepatitis C can be
- having other types of sexually transmitted infections
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How Is Hiv Passed From One Person To Another
HIV is spread mainly by having sex or sharing injection drug equipment such as needles with someone who has HIV.
Only certain fluidsblood, semen , pre-seminal fluid , rectal fluids, vaginal fluids, and breast milkfrom an HIV-infected person can transmit HIV. These fluids must come in contact with a mucous membrane or damaged tissue or be directly injected into the bloodstream for transmission to possibly occur. Mucous membranes can be found inside the rectum, the vagina, the opening of the penis, and the mouth.
In the Australia, HIV is spread mainly by
- Having sex with someone who has HIV. In general:
- Anal sex is the highest-risk sexual behavior. Receptive anal sex is riskier than insertive anal sex .
- Vaginal sex is the second highest-risk sexual behavior.
- Having multiple sex partners or having other sexually transmitted infections can increase the risk of infection through sex.
Less commonly, HIV may be spread by
So What Are The Signs Your Tattoo Is Infected
Pus draining
Seeing pus draining from the tattoo site is the most specific sign that your tattoo is infected. Tonkovic-Capin says you’ll definitely want to visit the doctor if this occurs in order to determine if the infection is one that can be treated at home or not.
“You may try to wash it with liquid antibacterial soap and apply over-the-counter double antibiotic ointment three-to-four times a day. If you develop a fever, then you should go to the closest emergency room, advises Tonkovic-Capin.
Redness and warmth
If you experience spreading pink discoloration or the feeling of pulsatile heat radiating from around your tattoo, you may have an infection, says Devgan. Make sure to see a doctor as soon as possible for a topical or oral antibiotics.
You can have swelling and warmth even without infection, says Tonkovic-Capin. But if it persists for more than three days or gets worse, then it is an infection. And you guessed it: See a doctor.
Pseudomonas bacterial or fungal infections
These occur when you tattoo your toes, feet, or ankles.
Pseudomonas bacterial infections are more common if you wear old, smelly, sweaty sneakers without socks, and fungal infections are more common if you have athlete’s foot/toenail fungus, or walk around barefoot in the gym or public showers, where this fungus likes to lurk, explains Tsippora Shainhouse, MD, FAAD, a board-certified dermatologist in Beverly Hills, California, in private practice at SkinSafe Dermatology and Skin Care.
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Can I Get Hiv Infection From A Tattoo Machine
Answered by: |
Q: I am 23 years old. I recently got my name embedded on my arm permanently by a street tattoo maker. He used black ink and a locally made electric machine. Later my friend told me that this whole activity could be risky, as the machines used are local and not sterilised. Since this whole process involves a needle going inside my skin, I might be under a high risk of contracting some serious infection including HIV. Is this true? Can one contract HIV by a local tattoo-making machine? How do I get rid of my tattoo?
A:It is true that any unsterilised instrument or needle, etc. going into the body can transmit some infections such as hepatitis, HIV, etc. Though the risk is low, it is there. Please get an ELISA test for HIV done three months after the exposure to rest your mind to peace. Removal of the tattoo now will not help in any way. In future, please be careful about such practices.
Is The Risk Of Hiv Different For Different People
Although HIV risk factors and routes of transmission apply to everyone equally, some people are at higher risk because of where they live and who their sex partners are.
The percentage of people living with HIV is higher in major metropolitan areas, so people who live there are more likely to encounter an HIV-positive person among their possible sex partners. In the same way, because the prevalence of HIV is higher among gay and bisexual men and among black and Latino men and women, members of these groups are more likely to encounter partners who are living with HIV.
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Can I Get A Tattoo With Hiv
Can I get a tattoo with HIV?Im undetectable and, my cd4 count 398 and has been steadily rising for the past year. I love the tattoos I have I would love to get more.
Yes you could get a tat. But remember !!! Make Sure the Parlor is Clean !. Because it’s you , that you Have to protect. You don’t want another Strain of HIV. Good luck . . .
I have gotten 3 or 4 tats since I was diagnosed i did not disclose my status to the artist and i think in my state its not even legal to get tattooed if you’re poz but i didnt even read the service consent i knew i was undetectable but i still feel like i should have disclosed my status and given the artist the option to choose whether or not he wanted to do the work
I have two tattoos and have had no issues, just take care of yourself and go to a respectful tattoos place.
I have no tattoos. I like some men who have tasteful inked skin and in some cases find it very sexy. I’ve never wanted a tattoo because — well — I’ve an aversion to needles! LOL I’ve read that getting tattooed can be dangerous for a person with HIV because of the possibility of acquiring an infection or other blood born disease . The possibility of a tattoo artist being careless and not cleaning his equipment or using used or dirty needles is also scary. For someone HIV+ , check out the artist and their parlor thoroughly before proceeding. Your life is worth more than a few inches of ink.