Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsTheoretical RiskWhy It’s UnlikelyIncreased Risk FactorsHow to Be Safe
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Theoretical Risk
Why It’s Unlikely
Increased Risk Factors
How to Be Safe
There is a theoretical risk of gettingHIVfrom a tattoo or body piercing simply because the virus can be passed through blood. However, there has yet to be a single documented case of this in the United States.
When body art of this sort is performed under the laws and health regulations of U.S. states, the risk of HIV transmission is considered negligible. The same may not be true in unregulated settings where the rate of HIV is high, such as a developing country or prison.
Westend61 / Getty Images
How Tattooing and Body Piercing Could Transmit HIV
Body piercing uses a single needle to puncture the skin.
By puncturing the skin and drawing blood, certain bloodborne infections like HIV and hepatitis C can theoretically be passed from one customer to the next if the gun or needles aren’t properly disinfected.
Even so, the risk of this occurring is considered unlikely.
Why Transmission Is Unlikely
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the risk of HIV through tattooing or body piercing is considered low to negligible.
This is largely due to the fact that transmission can only occur if:
Within the context of body art, the likelihood of these conditions being satisfied is slim. The risk of infection is nowhere near as high as, say,sharing injecting needles and syringeswhere HIV-infected blood is delivered directly into another person’s vein.
How HIV Is Transmitted
Where the Risk of HIV Exists
Despite the statistical evidence, there are those who remain unconvinced that tattooing and piercing are without significant risk.
By way of example, a 27-year-old body art customer filed a lawsuit in 2017 after a tattoo parlor refused him service for having HIV.While the court ultimately ruled in the man’s favor, the case highlights lingering doubts and misconceptions about howHIV is spread and not spread.
This is especially true in areas where theprevalence (rate) of HIVis high.
As an example, a 2012 study from Ethiopia concluded HIV and other bloodborne infections were occasionally transmitted through improperly sterilized barbering equipment.In addition to unsterile practices, the rate of HIV in Ethiopia is significantly greater than in the United States.
Similarly, the rate of HIV in prisons is four times greater than in the general U.S. population (1.3% vs. 0.3%, respectively).
Adding to the risk, prison tattoos are often done with multiple, deep skin punctures using re-used objects such as staples, paper clips, and ink tubes from ballpoint pens. Because of this, there tends to be greater blood exposure and, in turn, a greater risk of HIV and hepatitis C transmission.
Irrespective of the facility or location, unsanitary body art practices inherently increase the risk of bloodborne infections, most especiallyhepatitis Band hepatitis C.
Safe Tattooing and Body Piercing
If you are considering getting a tattoo or piercing, there are several things you should do to better ensure your safety:
State laws can vary significantly, with some requiring licenses or permits and others not. With that said, all 50 states and the District of Columbia have laws governing the safety of both tattoo/body piercing facilities and their practitioners.
What to Do for an Infected Belly Button Piercing
8 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.How HIV spreads.Insurance Journal.Utah tattoo parlor settles with man who has HIV.Gallè F, Mancusi C, Di Onofrio V, et al.Awareness of health risks related to body art practices among youth in Naples, Italy: a descriptive convenience sample study.BMC Public Health.2011;11:625. doi:10.1186/1471-2458-11-625Biadgelegn F, Belyhun Y, Anagaw B.Potential risk of HIV transmission in barbering practice in Ethiopia: from public health and microbiological perspectives.BMC Public Health.2012;12:701. doi:10.1186/1471-2458-12-707Deribew A, Biadgilign S, Deribe K, et al.The burden of HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia from 1990 to 2016: evidence from the Global burden of diseases 2016 study.Ethiop J Health Sci. 2019;29(1):859-868. doi:10.4314/ejhs.v29i1.7National HIV Curriculum.HIV and corrections: Epidemiology and prevention of HIV in correctional setting.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Hepatitis C.National Environmental Health Association.State enacted body art legislation.
8 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.How HIV spreads.Insurance Journal.Utah tattoo parlor settles with man who has HIV.Gallè F, Mancusi C, Di Onofrio V, et al.Awareness of health risks related to body art practices among youth in Naples, Italy: a descriptive convenience sample study.BMC Public Health.2011;11:625. doi:10.1186/1471-2458-11-625Biadgelegn F, Belyhun Y, Anagaw B.Potential risk of HIV transmission in barbering practice in Ethiopia: from public health and microbiological perspectives.BMC Public Health.2012;12:701. doi:10.1186/1471-2458-12-707Deribew A, Biadgilign S, Deribe K, et al.The burden of HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia from 1990 to 2016: evidence from the Global burden of diseases 2016 study.Ethiop J Health Sci. 2019;29(1):859-868. doi:10.4314/ejhs.v29i1.7National HIV Curriculum.HIV and corrections: Epidemiology and prevention of HIV in correctional setting.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Hepatitis C.National Environmental Health Association.State enacted body art legislation.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.How HIV spreads.Insurance Journal.Utah tattoo parlor settles with man who has HIV.Gallè F, Mancusi C, Di Onofrio V, et al.Awareness of health risks related to body art practices among youth in Naples, Italy: a descriptive convenience sample study.BMC Public Health.2011;11:625. doi:10.1186/1471-2458-11-625Biadgelegn F, Belyhun Y, Anagaw B.Potential risk of HIV transmission in barbering practice in Ethiopia: from public health and microbiological perspectives.BMC Public Health.2012;12:701. doi:10.1186/1471-2458-12-707Deribew A, Biadgilign S, Deribe K, et al.The burden of HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia from 1990 to 2016: evidence from the Global burden of diseases 2016 study.Ethiop J Health Sci. 2019;29(1):859-868. doi:10.4314/ejhs.v29i1.7National HIV Curriculum.HIV and corrections: Epidemiology and prevention of HIV in correctional setting.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Hepatitis C.National Environmental Health Association.State enacted body art legislation.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.How HIV spreads.
Insurance Journal.Utah tattoo parlor settles with man who has HIV.
Gallè F, Mancusi C, Di Onofrio V, et al.Awareness of health risks related to body art practices among youth in Naples, Italy: a descriptive convenience sample study.BMC Public Health.2011;11:625. doi:10.1186/1471-2458-11-625
Biadgelegn F, Belyhun Y, Anagaw B.Potential risk of HIV transmission in barbering practice in Ethiopia: from public health and microbiological perspectives.BMC Public Health.2012;12:701. doi:10.1186/1471-2458-12-707
Deribew A, Biadgilign S, Deribe K, et al.The burden of HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia from 1990 to 2016: evidence from the Global burden of diseases 2016 study.Ethiop J Health Sci. 2019;29(1):859-868. doi:10.4314/ejhs.v29i1.7
National HIV Curriculum.HIV and corrections: Epidemiology and prevention of HIV in correctional setting.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Hepatitis C.
National Environmental Health Association.State enacted body art legislation.
Meet Our Medical Expert Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
What is your feedback?
