You′ve probably had many conversations (or battles) with your parents about your choice of hairstyle and color, earrings, and style of dress. When it comes to body tattoos, piercing, and branding, your parents may have laid down the law and said no way.
- In Arkansas, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee, you must be 18 to get a tattoo.
- In Rhode Island, the tattooing age is also 18, but there is no age limit for the removal of tattoos.
- In Arizona, a 1996 law makes tattooing a minor without a parent or guardian present a felony, subject to a year in jail or up to a $150,000 penalty.
Legally, you must be eighteen before getting a tattoo in most states. Adults who violate existing laws by tattooing a minor, or consenting to a tattoo in violation of the law, are subject to penalties. Branding and piercing body parts are not yet covered by specific laws.
Once you become an adult, you can decide how to express and present yourself to others. Think it through before you act. Although laser treatment is available to remove the ink from a tattoo, the skin area is never 100 percent restored to its original state. Branding is even more difficult, if not impossible, to erase. Keep in mind that many employers, including national franchises, won′t hire people who have visible markings. So before you tattoo or brand your fingers, hands, arms, or face, talk with some friends or adults who have had the experience. Contact the local job bank or a work placement counselor at school to find outwhat personal adornments are acceptable in your area.
On the lighter side, Mary Wohlford is a retired nurse with an unusual tattoo. She doesn’t believe in lawyers so she had “Do Not Resuscitate” written across her chest. Mary lives in Iowa and was 80-years-old when this was done in 2006.
