Tattoos are popular these days with young people. If 
you look closely you can see many different
designs including tribal and floral.

Teens get tattoos for many reasons: they like the 
look, it helps depression by making them feel better, 
it reminds them of a lost loved one or relative, or 
even because they like the feeling of pain. Some teens 
pressure each other to get their 
boyfriend/girlfriend’s name tattooed on their body. If 
this is you, you should think twice before you go 
through with it. 

“Before you get a tattoo make sure you want it,” says 
tattoo artist Aaron Cooper, of Staircase Tattoo and  
Body Piercing in downtown Santa Cruz. Before he gives 
anybody a tattoo, he has to talk to them. “We sit them 
down and see if that’s what they really want for the 
rest of your life.”

If you really want to do it, Cooper offers the 
following advice: First, you must be 18; it’s a 
California law.  And be safe. “Really check the place 
where you’re getting it! Make sure everyone gets brand 
new needles and theythem in front of you. Never 
reuse a needle,” says Cooper. You can get hepatitis or 
other infections if you go to a bad place or do it at 
home. 

“It’s worth paying a little more to do it right,” 
Cooper says. “People spend $150 on shoes that only
last a year, and a tattoo will last a lifetime. Do it 
the right way!”

Even if you do it the right way you may get tired of 
your tattoo. Sister Maureen, Coordinator of the Tattoo 
Removal Program at Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz, 
works with people who want to get tattoos removed. The 
majority of the people that come to her are 30-50 
years old, but some are as young as  fourteen. “People 
get them removed for various reasons, a lifestyle 
change or so they can have their personal dignity,” 
she says.

Tattoos are usually removed with a laser. “It feels 
like being shot with a rubber band many times. It’s 
faster to get them on than off,” she says. “But 
there’s no scar. When it’s finished, it feels like a 
baby’s skin.”

If you want to get your tattoo removed at Dominican, 
you must have an interview first. It has to be a 
visible tattoo, on your neck, face, upper or lower 
arm, or fingers. It’s free, but you must do 20 hours 
of community service in return. 

Remember to think about the following things before 
getting a tattoo:

• How long will you be with that person (if
  you want their name) and what would your
  next boyfriend/girlfriend think about it?
• You could get a disease.
• The tattoo artist might do it wrong, especially
  if it’s cheap.
• What will your dad or mom think?

If you do this, you’ll be safer and happier.