Question: I got a butterfly tattoo set about two weeks ago, and now it is flaking and scabbing-it’s also dull. I washed it, put ointment on it, and now cream (fragrance free), as well. There is still some redness, and of course it itches like mad! What I would like to know [...]

According to news reports, James Houser (Sharon, Pennsylvania) tattooed a 9-year-old boy and the boy’s 14-year-old sister in his apartment last summer, without the knowledge or consent of their parents. He used a homemade tattoo “gun” and claims that he tried to contact the kids’ parents first, but tattooed them anyway when he couldn’t reach [...]

Polymer clay, once baked, converts into a plastic material (thus, the polymer name). Plastic can’t be cleaned with alcohol (it would break it down) and it can’t be autoclave sterilized. It can also be rather porous, even if you don’t see them, and those little impurities can be the basis for a bacterial nesting ground. [...]

“I have a labret and a tongue ring. I have gum damage. The gums are so low up front on the bottom that it is painful for the dentist to clean that area. They said it is just to the edge of the bone. They also told me that I have [...]

I don’t know how the weather is where you live, but here in the Midwest we’ve been breaking records with sub-zero temperatures this week. It even got bad enough to cancel school one day, which of course the kids were thrilled about. I haven’t had to endure too much of it myself since I’ve been [...]

This is Jud Winters, a tattoo artist from Nampa, Idaho. This is a fairly recent photo, but now Jud is laying in the University of Utah’s Burn Center with over 90% of his skin burned from a bonfire accident. Doctors have given him a 30% chance of survival, and he has to undergo 2 surgeries [...]

There’s been a lot of news stories that affect our community this year - particularly arsons and robberies against a lot of tattoo shops. Below are some of the most notable news articles from 2008, some of which got heavy media attention. NIU Shooters’ Tattoos in Spotlight
TSA policies/woman forced to remove nipple piercingsTeacher Took Underage [...]

“One drawback - or appeal, depending on how you look at it - to dermal anchors [is that] they’re basically permanent. But, because the part that goes under your skin is made of titanium, which is the same material used to make replacement joints and plates used for repairing bone breaks, you shouldn’t have to [...]

Question: Okay, on the 26th of December I got a labret piercing. The back piece that holds the piercing in place I believe is inside of my lip. A friend of mine told me to leave it alone because the back piece should just “pop out” YEAH NO. Every day the hole that was once [...]

This was a big year for record breaking! Several artists attempted to break records for the most tattoos in a period of time or the longest tattoo sessions. Here are the ones that succeeded!Mario Barth Does First In-Flight Tattoo
March – 577 tattoos in 24 hours by Robbie Koch Earns $20K for Make-A-Wish Foundation [...]