To tattoo or Not to tattoo? 20-40-60 answers

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YOU ASK! WE ANSWER! YOU DECIDE!

Question: When I was at a major theme park recently, everyone I saw had a tattoo. They were the large-sized ones too. Are tattoos the rage now? Does everyone have them? And what happens when people don’t want them anymore?

Callie’s answer: A lot of people do have tattoos, but I wouldn’t say it is the rage. Some tattoos have a meaning behind them, and others, the individuals just love the feeling of getting a tattoo.   When you do not want your tattoo anymore you have to get it removed by a laser, which does not guarantee that it will go away.

The best way to go is henna tattoos. They stay for about 2 weeks, but go away! JUST IN TIME!

Lillie-Beth’s answer: You’re not going to run into tattooed people just at theme parks. They’re working with you, serving on parent committees at your child’s school, running Girl Scout meetings and selling you things in all types of stores. “Other” people don’t get tattoos anymore; they’re your friends, co-workers and acquaintances, if not yourself, although a certain stigma lingers that tattoos belong in an underground culture, particularly for those who have a lot of them.

Body ink is here to stay; for starters, all those people who have gotten them in recent years to express their individuality are stuck with them: I’ve heard they’re extremely difficult and painful to remove.

According to a Pew Research Center report earlier this year, nearly 40 percent of “Millennials” — today’s teens and 20-somethings — have at least one tattoo, although 32 percent of Generation Xers — those born between 1965 and 1980 have one, too (I am not one of them and have no plans for one at this time). These numbers compare to 15 percent of Baby Boomers who have tattoos and even less for older Americans.

Also, according to Pew Research, most people — 70 percent in both age groups — keep their inked body art hidden beneath clothing.

Tattoos no longer have as much power to shock, and some of them are beautifully and tastefully done like artwork. In my own family, however, when my children get old enough to find their own ways to be unique, I’d rather experiment with their hairstyle, which will grow out, before I’d let them get a permanent tattoo.

Helen’s answer: There are lots of tattoos around. I don’t think it is a new rage or fad, but it seems like there are more this year than ever before. Some are hidden, but many people are choosing to display really big tattoos prominently.

Some women are applying permanent tattoo makeup on lips and eyes.

My question? Are they safe? Is it ok to pierce the skin so many times with a needle? The U.S. Food and Drug Administration newsletter lists some of the risks of tattooing as:  infection caused by dirty needles; allergies to ink; scarring and swelling and burning when having MRI’s.