KOCHI: While essential services are picking up post lockdown, there is a taboo against cosmetic and beauty services and the extent of safety they offer. So how about tattoos then? Is it a good time to get inked? TNIE speaks experts and artists
At Dreamcatchers Tattoo Studio in Kadavanthra, Syama Devi is in her mask and protective gear. “Tattooing is an entirely safe procedure, provided the customers are ready to follow the guidelines. We have taken extra measures such as PPE kits for the staff, regular temperature checking and have kept sanitisers in our studio,” says Syama. “We keep a strict record of our clients, including their travel history and medical conditions before giving an appointment,” she says. Syama has been a tattoo artist for almost 11 years and started the studio in 2012. Now, she is running the studio in partnership with her colleague Fabin Francis.
“At this point, we are giving preferences to our regular customers and people with references. We have even cut down our working hours— from 11am to 5pm. Since the first week of June, we have tattooed on over 25 people. The only request we place before our customers is to definitely share accurate details when it comes to their travel history, so that we can keep ourselves and our clients safe,” Syama adds.
Many tattoo studios in the city are also finding means to break the stigma. “I did a ‘giveaway’ contest on my social media page in the first week of June,” says Sujeesh P S of Inkfected Tattoo Studio in Padivattom. “People are still apprehensive of getting tattooed, given the safety concerns, which we totally understand. Tattoo studios were not given any specific guidelines by authorities. But we are taking necessary steps to maintain hygiene and practice social distancing in our studio,” he added. Sujeesh ensures that his customers have not travelled abroad before giving them an appointment.
“We use full hand gloves, masks and all the precautionary measures before the procedure. I have tattooed almost 30 people in the past two weeks. This is actually less than the usual number of customers, but these are tough times,” says Sujeesh.But 30 is definitely not a small number. At a time whenmost of us think twice about going to the supermarket, the idea of getting a tattoo during a pandemic may seem a bit far-fetched. But, the numbers show that people are open to the idea. According to medical experts, tattooing comes with little risk, provided you follow the safety measures. According to Dr Anuradha Kakkanat Babu, consultant dermatologist at Aster Medcity, there is nothing unusual about getting a tattoo at this point of time.
“The studio premises and people getting tattooed must follow safety and hygiene guidelines strictly since this procedure involves one-on-one contact for a long period of time. There are no other reasons to be worried, as Covid-19 is not a blood-borne infection,” she says. Major tattoo studios in Kochi have, however, limited their appointments to ensure social distancing.