CNS Career Web : Tattoos, Piercings, and Your Career

You need to be aware that tattoos and pierces are not popular with employers. In a recent survey conducted by Vault.com, over half of the managers surveyed said they would be less likely to hire an applicant with visible tattoos and body piercings.

Carefully consider any permanent or temporary body modification, especially tattoos. It’s fine to get a tattoo, just make sure that it is something that you will be happy to carry around for the next 50 years. If you get a tattoo in a visible area, such as a neck, ankle, or hand, it will be hard to hide from potential employers.

If you are interviewing, you should hide your tattoos and remove pierces, if they are in obvious, visible places.

Two cosmetic products are commonly used for tat cover-up:

Joe Blasco's line of theatrical cosmetics

Dermablend cover-up make-up, which is used by people who have vitiligo (Michael Jackson's mysterious melanin-loss disease), scars, birthmarks and tattoos. This is often available at cosmetic counters.

You may find other products work through experimentation. Make sure you test out the cover-up well before your interview, so you know it will work!

Obviously, you can just remove the jewelry, and hope no one notices the hole. Some piercings, however, will heal over very quickly if barbells or rings are removed. In that case, you should use a retainer. This is usually a clear acrylic post that keeps the piercing open, but isn’t very visible. They usually cost between $10-$25 dollars.

To see examples, look at:

BodyJewelry4Sale.com

Natural Expressions

Note: Links are included in this document for examples; we have no connections with these vendors. The CDC makes no endorsement of the safety of these products.

I’m thinking of getting a tattoo or a piercing; what do I need to know?

Body modifications can be an artistic means of self-expression—and they can also expose you to some potentially fatal health risks, including Hepatitis, gangrene, and HIV-AIDS. If anything about the piercer, the studio or the procedure itself makes you feel anxious, do not proceed. You only have only one body!

To make sure that your pierce or tattoo heals healthily, and you enjoy it for years to come:

Needles should never be reused. All needles should be pre-sterilized, used on one person, and immediately disposed of in a medical sharps container.

Make sure that any other equipment used by your artist has been autoclaved. This sterilization procedure reduces the chance of disease transmission, and is essential to prevent Hepatitis and HIV-AIDS. All forceps, tubes, etc. should be pre-sterilized, stored in sterile bags, and used only on one person.

A new pair of sterile latex gloves should be worn for every procedure. Gloves should be changed whenever the slightest chance of cross-contamination might occur.

The room used for piercings, as well as the bathroom and other common areas, should be scrupulously clean and disinfected frequently.

Don’t ever let anyone pierce you with a piercing gun. They cannot be sterilized adequately.

No reputable tattoo artist or piercer will work on a person who is drunk or stoned. If you have to resort to chemicals to prepare for a body modification, you aren’t ready yet.

Do not attempt self-piercing. Knowledge of anatomy is necessary to avoid arterial and neurological damage. A hemorrhage could be fatal.

Tongue and belly button pierces are two of the most dangerous ones to get—very large arteries are present, and an incorrectly placed pierce could cause infection of the abdominal cavity, nerve damage, and/or loss of the use of your tongue. Ask to see professional certification of the piercer, and get references, if you are considering these pierces.

Tattoos are forever—make sure that the artwork you choose is exactly what you want. Will you really want a Tasmanian devil on your behind when you are 65?

Laser removal of tattoos is possible, but very expensive, painful, and cannot remove all colors. For example, red ink cannot be removed.

We hope that you will give careful consideration to all your body modifications. These guidelines are drawn in part from The APP (Association of Professional Piercers) top 10 requirements for piercing safety.