The prevalence of permanent tattoos and the awareness of the adverse effects of tattooing in Slovenia

Tetoviranje, danes priljubljen način okraševanja telesa, je skozi zgodovino, vse od kamene dobe naprej, predstavljalo razširjeno prakso označevanja in spreminjanja telesa. V preteklosti so s tetovažami izražali različna verovanja, vlogo posameznika v družbi, odločitev za tetovažo pa je bila le redko posameznikova lastna izbira. V primerjavi s preteklostjo se zdi, da so danes tetovaže nekaj povsem običajnega in rezultat lastne izbire posameznikov. Čeprav njihov negativen predznak še ni v celoti izginil, se je v zadnjih letih občutno zmanjšal in lahko trdimo, da tetovaže niso več tabu tema. Uporaba barv za tetoviranje ne sme predstavljati tveganja za zdravje ali varnost človeka. Barve, ki se uporabljajo, morajo biti kvalitetne, v skladu s priporočili, njihova sestava mora biti ustrezna. Ravno barve, z neustrezno sestavo in preseženimi dovoljenimi koncentracijami snovi, ki predstavljajo največjo nevarnost (težke kovine, aromatski amini, pigmenti), so eden glavnih povzročiteljev neželenih učinkov tetoviranja. Zanimalo nas je, s kakšnimi neželenimi učinki se ljudje s tetovažo lahko srečajo in kako se jim v največji meri lahko izognejo. V raziskovalnem delu smo izdelali spletno anketo, namenjeno širši javnosti, da bi preverili kolikšna je razširjenost tetovaž v Sloveniji in osveščenost o neželenih učinkih tetoviranja. Pridobljene podatke smo obdelali s frekvenčno distribucijo (grafičnimi prikazi), za primerjavo rezultatov skupine tetoviranih anketirancev z netetovirano skupino pa smo naredili statistično analizo s programom SPSS. Potrdimo lahko, da so tetovaže priljubljene, večina anketirancev ima vsaj eno tetovažo (73 % vseh anketirancev), veliko pa je med njimi takih, ki tetovaže še nimajo (27 %), ampak si jo v prihodnosti želijo (87 % netetoviranih anketirancev). Splošno poznavanje neželenih učinkov tetoviranja je nizko, 53 % anketirancev učinkov ne pozna. Majhen delež (3 %) tetoviranih anketirancev je potrdil, da so po tetoviranju imeli kakšne neželene učinke, najpogosteje se je po tetoviranju pojavljala rdečica. Ugotovili smo, da so s tveganji tetoviranja bolje seznanjeni anketiranci s tetovažo kot tisti brez nje. Najbolj poznan škodljiv učinek v obeh skupinah anketirancev so okužbe. Zanimiv je podatek, da je anketirancem pri izbiri tetovirnega studia kvaliteta uporabljene barve pomembnejši dejavnik kot cena storitve. V anketi je sodelovalo več žensk, tudi med tetoviranimi osebami je večji delež žensk. Za tetoviranje se najpogosteje odločijo posamezniki med 20. in 30. letom starosti. Zavedamo se, da razširjenost tetovaž in osveščenost o neželenih učinkih tetoviranja v Sloveniji ne moremo oceniti zgolj na podlagi pridobljenih rezultatov s spletno anketo, izdelano v okviru te diplomske naloge. Za to bi bilo potrebno izvesti nacionalno raziskavo, upamo pa lahko, da bo ta naloga na kakršen koli način pripomogla k nadaljnjemu raziskovanju tega področja. Želimo si, da bi v prihodnosti prišlo do izboljšav tudi na področju zakonodaje in menimo, da bi bilo koristno širšo javnost bolje seznaniti z varnim načinom tetoviranja.Tattooing, in the present day a popular way of body decoration, throughout history, since the stone age represented a common practice of either marking or modifying of a human body. In the past, tattoos would express individuals beliefs and role within a society, but a choice of having one was only seldomly their free choice. Today the tattoos have become common and more widely accepted and are a result of every individual`s own choice. Although the negative connotations about tattoos are still present in our everyday life, it has become clear that these perceptions are rapidly disappearing and in general no longer represent a controversial subject. The use of tattoo inks must not pose any threat for health or safety of a person. Inks used for this procedure must be of a highest quality and must follow the necessary recommendations. The composition of this inks and materials of which they are made of must also be appropriate. The tattoo inks with low quality or inappropriate composition that contain a large dosage dangerous substances (heavy metals, aromatic amines, pigments) are one of the main causes of unwanted side effects a person can be exposed to during tattooing. In the research part of this thesis we conducted an online survey. Our objective was to check the prevalence of tattoos in Slovenia and awareness about adverse effects which can be caused by this procedure. The obtained data was then processed with frequency distribution (graphic displays). We made a statistical analysis using a SPSS programme when comparing a group of people that don`t have a tattoo with a group that have one. We can confirm that tattoos are popular, most of the participants already had at least one (73 %), there were also a lot of participants that didn’t have a tattoo (27 %) but will likely get one in the future (87 %). Basic understanding of adverse effects that can be caused by tattooing is very low, because 53% of participants are not familiar with them. A small fraction, 3 % of tattooed participants experienced unwanted side effects, most commonly redness of the skin. Our survey found that tattooed individuals are more aware of adverse effects. The most known effect in both groups of participants was infection. It was interesting to find out that for the participants the most important factor when choosing a tattooing studio wasn\u27t the price but the quality of tattoo ink. There were more females than males that took part in this survey. There were also a larger percentage of tattooed females than males. Individuals with a tattoo are usually between the age of 20 and 30. We accept that prevalence of tattoos and awareness of the adverse effects of tattooing in Slovenia can’t be judged solely on results obtained in our online survey that were then presented within this thesis. We would have to conduct a national research in order to get more accurate results, but it remains in our best intentions that this thesis and others like it encourage further research developments of this area. In the foreseeable future we would also hope for improved legalization concerning this topic. We believe that it would be beneficial for general public if we present them with safer ways of tattooing