by Rita Schwenninger

Created on: March 17, 2009

One of the problems with teens deciding to get a tattoo, is that teenagers frequently don't look beyond today in their decision making. While they may recognize that a tattoo is a permanent mark on their body, they may not be thinking about how that will look in 10, 20, 30, or 40 years. They see a celebrity with tattoos and that increases the perceived cool factor. But those celebrities have something that the ordinary 16 year old does not have, money. If the celebrity decides it was a mistake to a name or a design imprinted on his or her body, he or she can afford to have it removed. Your average teen cannot make that same choice when or if they come to regret the ink on the body.

As an administrator with many years of hiring experience, I can tell you I am not going to hire you to be a receptionist or office assistant, in fact for any position that would bring you into client contact, in my conservative office if you have visible tattoos. I once had a receptionist who decided she was going to get a tattoo on her stomach, and that was all well and good as long as her shirt, skirt or slacks covered it, because in the normal routine of business there would be no reason that I or anyone else not intimately involved with her, would ever see it.

And tattoos change shape over the years as your body changes shape. If you are a female and you gain weigh, that cute butterfly is going to expand, if you are a male and you lose muscle mass in your later years, (and yes that does happen, look at your grandfather and see how loose his skin is and then compare that to a photo of him when he was 30. You will see a big difference, not just in his face but also the body structure.) those tats on your upper arms are going to get lost in sagging skin.

The biggest mistake anyone makes in getting a tattoo is to have a name of a current girlfriend or boyfriend, or the name of a gang of any kind imprinted on the body. So take care in making your decision to get a tattoo or not. Sometimes just waiting another day will make you see it in a different light.

Another factor in your decision making process should be: know the facility where you will have it done. There are many tattoo artists in most towns and cities, but you need to know their reputation before you proceed. You do not want to go in to have artwork done and come out with either a botched design, or worse - an infection from a needle that was not sterile!

Learn more about this author, Rita Schwenninger.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.