Can You Contract AIDS From Getting A Tattoo

Here's a taste of what TheBody.com has to offer on this topic:

Ask the Experts

A Question about Ethics and Tattoo Art Work

After a few years of considering a Tattoo and researching HIV related issues with getting a tattoo I finally obtained one. I guess you could say it was a whim because I did not plan, I simply went to a Tattoo convention. I talked with several...

Response from Robert J. Frascino, M.D.

The Robert James Frascino AIDS Foundation

Hi Inked-Guy,You've done nothing wrong nor breached any ethical boundaries. You report you asked questions about sterility and were reassured all precautions were taken. You "observed the process of cleaning and universal... Read more »

Scared after tattooing HIV positive client

I was doing a tattoo on a client who has told me he is HIV positive and I have tattooed him a... Read more »

Response from David Wohl, M.D. »

How can someone contract HIV? (HIV TRANSMISSION BETWEEN TWO HIV NEGATIVES, 2008)

How can someone contract HIV? I mean if you have sex with multiple HIV negative people, can you... Read more »

Response from Robert J. Frascino, M.D. »

Go to Ask the Experts »

Articles

Thai Corrections Department Increasing Efforts to Prevent Tattooing Among Prison Inmates to Curb Spread of HIV, Other Diseases

The Thai Department of Corrections is increasing its efforts to prevent prison inmates from tattooing themselves in an effort to curb the spread of HIV and other diseases, such as hepatitis, the Bangkok Post reports. According to a recent study... Read more »

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Wisconsin: License Ensures Tattoos Applied Safely

Area health officials are warning residents against getting tattoos from unlicensed inkers, saying state-mandated health and safety standards minimize infection risks. To receive licensure from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, tattoo... Read more »

L.A. Times Profiles Several Rwandan Women Who Contracted HIV Through Rape, Not Receiving AIDS Drugs

The Los Angeles Times on Sunday profiled several of the "thousands" of Rwandan women who were raped during the country's 1994 massacres and subsequently have tested HIV-positive in "a kind of echo of the genocide." According to Rwandan women's... Read more »

Rumor Control: Can I Contract HIV From an Experimental AIDS Vaccine?

Absolutely not. Here's how vaccines work: They help train our bodies to ward off diseases. They trick the body into thinking it already has an illness. This triggers the immune system to build an army of defenders, called antibodies, to attack the... Read more »

Connect With Others

Tattoo and me

Posted by Anonymous, 2 Replies

Hello, I'm 16 going on 17 and I want to get a tattoo for my birthday. I am HIV positive. I'm wondering if there can be any complication towards me if I get a tattoo. I am of course aware that I need to go to a safe sterile professional environment... Read more »

TATTOO RISKS???

Posted by curls, 2 Replies

I got my first tattoo on March 10 and have been worried about hiv infection ever since. I had the tattoo done at a shop that's been established for 15+ years, but is a little on the scuzzy side. I personally didn't see the artist open new needles ... Read more »

Tattoo's and HIV

Posted by Anonymous, 4 Replies

Hi everyone,
I am + but my viral load is below 200. I am wanting to go for my first tattoo (at 32!) but I worry about exposure and disclosure, has anyone out there been refused because of their stat, or is it a don't ask don't tell policy (since I... Read more »

Contracting HIV

Posted by Anonymous, 3 Replies

Recently my husband found out he is HIV+. At this time I am HIV - but I have only had one test and no viral load test done. We know he was negative in the beginning of last year and now he ha HIV. When I asked him about how he got this he told me... Read more »

Connect on Our Bulletin Boards »

Tools

My Health Tracker

Assess Your Risk for HIV

Find Local HIV/AIDS Services

Resource Centers

Guides for People With HIV

View All of Our Guides >>