ABSTRACT

As a body art, tattooing and body piercing have existed throughout the centuries since ancient times, have been practiced in almost all cultures, have grown and is still growing in popularity in Western societies. Since body piercing and tattooing practices are invasive applications they need to be regulated and standardized for infection control. These standards should include sanitation, sterilization, management of single-use items, competency requirements for personnel, infection control, client record keeping and retention, preparation, care and education. Nurses have continually impetus power to improve patient education, provide advanced patient safety, apply scientific principles, and improve health promotion in evolving, multicultural societies. This article reveals the role of the nurses in infection control of tattoo and body piercing practices, which is an undiscussed subject in our country.

Keywords: Tattoo, piercing, nursing, infection control