ABC NEWS WITH MEIJI TATTOO
Last week, Stu & Phil Pagdin sat down with ABC News to discuss their thoughts on the rise and danger of home tattooing. Here’s the interview ;
Industry professionals are warning consumers about the health risks of using home tattoo kits.
Those in the tattoo industry say they've seen a rise in the use of kits bought online, which have no guarantee of 'quality control or sterilisation'.
What's next? Consumers wanting a tattoo are urged to visit a professional.
Phil Pagdin runs a laser tattoo removal business and has seen his fair share of unusual tattoos. But a rise in home tattoo kits, increasingly available online, has seen some concerning tattoos come through his Adelaide door.
"If the ink is that bad, where you can use biro ink, printer ink, trust me, I've lasered household paint, well I've tried to, ash from a bonfire that kids have watered down," he said.
Phil removes tattoos in the same shop that his brother Stu uses to create them. The brothers are concerned equipment from unregistered sellers poses significant health risks. Stu said there were no guarantees of "quality control or sterilisation" from some of the kits being sold online.
"You can just get everything you need sent to your house and just go nuts," he said.
A quick online search revealed a variety of home tattoo kits available from online retailers for under $100. Professional Tattooing Association of Australia (PTAA) national treasurer Chris Rand said many of the pigments available through online sellers were "not suitable for tattooing". He said pigments used by professional artists came with medical safety data sheets, ingredient lists, batch numbers and expiry dates — information not always included by unregistered sellers.
Phil said removing tattoos by non-professionals could be difficult, and he had seen clients as young as 13 or 14 come through his doors.
"If the laser is not attracted to the ink, and it won't remove, unfortunately you have to deal with that until you're old enough to get that tattoo [re]done," he said.
While getting a tattoo professionally done can be pricey, Phil said customers enjoyed more certainty around reputable equipment, as well as business insurance and medical waste disposal.
Phil urged tattoo enthusiasts to stick with professional artists.
"If you want to have a nice-looking tattoo, then you do go to the professionals," he said.