These photos were pulled from a facebook pages in the Rochester area
WRONG
Let's play what is wrong here.
The machine is not bagged
The cord cover is not wrapped
The rinse bottles in the background have no barriers on them.
The victim's arm is on an absorbant surface
WRONG
again the tattoo victim is resting their arm on an absorbant surface and the spray bottle in the background is not barrier wrapped
WRONG
victim is laying directly on a non cleanable surface with no barrier
No covers on the machine or the cord cover
Machine is set directly on table with no barrier
Cord is set directly on scratcher's pantleg
"Work Table" appears to be a wooden end table with plastic wrap on it. At least they made a barrier attempt there , right?
WRONG
and just in case you thought they were still setting up in that last photo - here you can see the transfer to the table
Here there is the back up of other people who have started commenting on this hacker's facebook page about how bad their cross contamination is and he didn't even bother to remove the comments
Everything in this photo is contaminated and would need to be disposed of
(for those that complained that you couldn't read that well enough in the previous shot)
WRONG
That's right, they are tattooing in a bar here
WRONG
and here they are working in a basement (on a carpeted floor)
WRONG
These folks even attempted to set up a corner in the house to try and make it look more official.
Things to let you know you are in the wrong place:
While these are indeed cleaning wipes and they are better than nothing... They should not be used in any critical areas (such as work surfaces) and if they are used MUST be followed up with a hospital grade surface cleaner. Just because someone is "cleaning" does not mean they are keeping you safe.
WRONG
There is no way to properly clean and disinfect these tables. The surfaces are porous. Disposble barriers should be used on any and all work surfaces - ESPECIALLY porous ones.
WRONG
All of that fluid and ointment can contain potential contaminants which can be transferred to the next victim.
WRONG
Just the fact that this is happening in a kitchen should be a huge red flag - besides that from what is visible in the photo, there are no barriers on the lamp or the spray bottle. The gloves are substandard and the skin is not being properly stretched.
----Tattooing is a permanent life altering decision. Make sure you are making the right choice for yourself in both the art and the professionalism of the tattoo artist.
Bad tattooing can be lasered, covered up or forgotten.
Diseases that can be transmitted through improper tattoo techniques can be fatal.
Think before you Ink.
and by comparison let's look at what is right in this photo.
Barriers are covering, the cord, the spray bottle, the client table, the pillow, the light and the work surface (which is non-pourus and cleanable)
Here the machine and cord are both covered. Bottles are covered as is the power adjustment
Things to let you know you are in the right place:
There should be an autoclave someplace in the shop. It should be tested regularly by an outside service and they should be running back-up tests with each and every cycle. A professional will be glad that you asked about sterilization procedures and be happy to explain them to you.
Work areas should be cleaned in between clients with a professional hospital grade surface cleaner. Most of these products require 10 minute active soaks in order to be fully effective.
Products such as these should be used for cleaning of non-critical areas and machines when necessary.
any area that will be touched during the tattooing process should be barrier protected or disposable
While it may seem like a small thing to the lay person.... distilled water is incredibly important. If your artist is using tap water in their rinse cup, they are putting you in danger.