Issue date: 11/20/05 Section: Health

The majority of society sees tattoos and multiple piercings as a signal that a person is willing to break the societal norms, said Jeff Erger, associate professor of sociology. They can be seen as a signal of character, or it can be seen as a sign of independence.

"That's especially true of visible tattoos and piercings," he said.

Someone can cover his or her entire chest with tattoos and have 20 piercings and if that person can cover them with clothing, it's not going to have an effect, Erger said. If someone's hands are tattooed and earlobes are plugged, those can't be hidden, and that person will be looked down upon by almost every segment of society.

Junior Nicole Borchardt, who has multiple visible piercings, said she agrees society views tattoos and piercings in a negative light.

"A lot of people don't understand why you would want to do that," she said. "Even at work, they ask me why I would want to do that to myself. It's a lot of misunderstanding."

People see it as a rebellion phase to get attention, but they don't see it as a lifestyle choice, Borchardt said. They see it as acting out.

"I think this view is changing, but it is changing slowly," she said. "More drastic stuff is becoming more popular, and that is slow to be accepted."

Borchardt said she thinks the level of acceptance will continue to rise because this generation has been more open-minded about it.

"I think our kids will find more interesting things to pierce and to do," she said. "I don't know if the cycle ever ends."

Going back 30 years, any tattoo was seen as highly extreme, Erger said. Going back further, it was the sailors and the bike gangs that tended to get tattoos. Today, having a tattoo or a couple of piercings is seen by a lot of people as no big deal, depending on the nature of them.

"Even though people will accept a tattoo or a piercing, as long as it's hidden or hideable, that's one thing, but having multiple tattoos, multiple piercings, extreme piercings is still seen very negatively by the vast majority of society," he said.

He said he thinks it will continue to become more acceptable than it was in the past, but there's still a stigma associated with it, especially with the irreversible, unhideable kinds, Erger said. Unless there is a backlash, which often happens when things get very popular, he said he doesn't see it going downhill.

"I don't see it going away," he said.

It can be a lifestyle choice for some people, but for others, it's not. There are people who get into the scene, get more and more piercings, get a few tattoos and maybe end up doing a suspension. However, for most people who get tattooed and pierced, it's not.

"The thing about body modification is when it's done, you get to look at it, and you get to go through the process of healing," Erger said. "There is pain and healing and transformation. That's a very powerful experience, and I think that's why people do it and why people enjoy doing it. Let's face it: Getting a hole punched through your body is not really fun, but the entirety of the experience is empowering to a lot of people."

Views from the industry
Joe Alegrett, owner of Primitive Penetrations & Spirit Tattoo, 408 Riverside Ave., opened his shop about four years ago, but has been in the industry for 17 years.

He said he began his shop in his search of better sterilization methods and to offer clients higher standards.

"The industry changes dramatically on a daily, weekly, monthly, yearly basis," Alegrett said. "New things come out. New standards are implemented. I learn new things everyday. We never stop learning in this industry. When you stop learning or when you feel like you know it all, that's when you're in trouble."

Jerome Vorndran, one of the tattoo artists at Penetrations, said he got into the industry from an artist standpoint.

"I really just totally fell into it," he said.

Junior Kyle Brouillard also works at Penetrations as a piercer.

"There was always definite interest, but a major factor that pushed me over the edge was the people that I met here," he said.

Although doing the same piercing or tattoo over and over again may seem repetitive, Vorndran said they simply go ahead and do it anyway.

"It pays the bills," he said, "but when someone comes in and wants something really special, you just totally freak out."

Even simple procedures can give the artist an idea for something else, Vorndran said. Maybe something they could do in the future for the projects they wait around for.

"Everyone's anatomy is so different. Trying to find the perfect way for a piercing to sit on someone, to make it accent their body, is a different project every time," Brouillard said.

Alegrett said the most common piercings are the nostril and navel.

"The nostril is last year's navel," he said.

The most common tattoos are tribals and crosses, Vorndran said, with the age range of people who get tattoos varying anywhere from 18 on up.

Brouillard said, as a piercer, the majority of his clients are ages 18 to 24.

More people are doing their homework on the actually industry, so there are fewer misconceptions, Alegrett said. It's not looked at as so grunge anymore.

A major misconception that still exists is that it's dirty, Vorndran said, but it's becoming more mainstream.

Paula Hertel, who works at the counter at Penetrations, said the perception of people who get pierced or tattooed has changed.

"It's definitely not so punk," she said.

The progression can be seen by what is OK to have at a standard job, Brouillard said. Ten years ago, people couldn't get away with a nostril screw or multiple ear piercings, but now it's become more tolerable.

"Every couple of years, another visible piercing becomes more acceptable," he said.

Hertel said she feels the acceptance rate is at a lull right now, but that it will continue to grow. However, there will be a little bit of resistance.

Brouillard said he feels judged every day because of his body modification, whereas Vorndran said he feels it every now and then.

Alegrett, who has multiple visible piercings and tattoos, said even he feels judged in certain places.

"One of the partners (of the shop) runs in an elite circle, and I hate that circle, because I constantly feel judged in that circle," he said. "Even though the partner looks like a total yuppie, if he were to remove his shirt, they could see his nipple piercings. But you don't see that, but on me you do."

Vorndran said people get pierced for so many different reasons and that each one is personal.

Alegrett said he began to get his piercings and tattoos as more of a meditation thing.

"It was my own sense of testing my levels of strength, so to speak," he said.

Medical complications
When deciding where to get pierced or tattooed, people should look for a place that is certified, said Dr. Rick McClaflin of UW Health - Eau Claire Family Medicine Clinic, 617 W. Clairemont Ave. Those organizations usually have standards for cleanliness.

"They should also look for single-use, disposable needles, tattoo dyes that are single-use dye and that the artist is routinely putting on gloves," he said. "Just the cleanliness of where they are is a pretty good indicator."

Avoid, at all costs, the underground tattoo artists who do it out of their basements or garages, because the cleanliness standards tend to be lower, if they are there at all, McClaflin said.

The main health risk associated with piercings is infection, which can occur even if aftercare hygiene is good, he said. Skin infections are rather common with body piercings. There is a risk of HIV and Hepatitis, but not as high of a risk as with tattooing. A later complication is that the piercing tears out or excessive scarring around the piercing, called a keloid, McClaflin said. If an infection occurs, the hardware usually needs to be removed for a while. Then antibiotics usually take care of it.

"You should see a doctor right away if you have a serious skin infection," he said.

If someone doesn't want a piercing anymore, depending on the area, the hole will grow shut and simply leave a little scar, McClaflin said. There is also the possibility of an allergic reaction to the metal, but people can switch their jewelry.

With tattooing, because there are so many more pin pricks, the risk of common skin bacterial infections, or HIV and Hepatitis, is proportionally higher.

Piercings in soft, thin skin tend to be more troublesome. Exposed areas where they can catch are more likely to tear out, McClaflin said. Nose and mouth piercings also are more prone to infection, because there is more bacteria in the area.

"They are all prone to something," he said. "It's just not normal for them to be there."

The percentage of piercings and tattoos that require medical attention is relatively low, considering how many there are out there, McClaflin said. Although it's relatively low, it is real.

"Health complications aren't as common as the 'I wish I hadn't gotten this' complication," he said.

Careers, piercings and tattoos
Jeanne Skoug, director of Career Services, said if a student already has a visible piercing or tattoo, he or she should cover it or take it out before interviews.

"It is an individual decision," she said. "The important thing is that the students understand the possible implications of showing them."

If getting that job is really important to them, they would want to do everything possible to present a positive image, Skoug said. A piercing or tattoo often will make a negative impression, she said. The old saying is true: 'You never get a second chance to make a first impression.' She said she wonders why students would take a chance that a piercing would take them out of the running for that job.

"I think a couple ear piercing for women is OK in the professional world, but I wouldn't wear anything gaudy," she said. "For a guy, not even ... one is OK. I have never had an employer say, 'I wouldn't mind if someone had a piercing.' Do you want to risk losing that job for that earring? Is that earring that important?"

Most employers don't take kindly to piercings and tattoos, Skoug said. Most companies' concern is if they interview a candidate with a piercing and they push that person along in the next stage of the interview process, then the interviewee would have to make an office visit, she said. They may be worried what their internal or external clients would think.

"It comes up a lot when we are talking to employers because there is a lot more of this now than there used to be," Skoug said.

Borchardt said she doesn't plan on choosing a job where she couldn't show her piercings.

"I don't see myself going into a career that it is unaccepted, but the thing about piercings is that they can come out," she said.

If it came down to getting a job, Borchardt said she would take them out, but she would be sad. For now, she's in college and she has the freedom to do these things.

If she does have to take them out for a career, she said she has been keeping a scrapbook of all the body modification she's done.

"In that sense, I will have a memory of when and why I did it and what it meant to me," Borchardt said. "And of course, I will have little scars. Piercing and body modification is part of me. It isn't a phase like a lot of people say. It is part of who I am."

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