Piercings and Tattoos

I read the article in the March Student Health 101 magazine about tattoos and piercings and the risks involved. Personally I have had good experiences with both. I have 3 piercings in each ear that are completely healthy with no infection. I also recently got a tattoo in October of 2007. It was not on sudden impulse so I do not regret it. I thought long and hard what I would like to have because I knew that it was permanent and the risks I was involving myself in. I got it done in a legitimate tattoo parlor where they wore gloves and cleaned the tools. I have had no problems with bleeding or infection since I got my tattoo. I am very satisfied and am actually considering getting another one over the summer. They are rather addicting. To me there is something so unique about body art. It can never leave me, and no one else will have anything quite like it. As I read the article I found it interesting that the statistics are not gender biased. There is almost an equal number of males and females with tattoos. 16% of Americans have at least one tattoo and only 17% of them regret it. I find all this very interesting.