If you want a tattoo, make sure you are getting it from a licensed artist.
Ben Avery, Environmental Health Director for the Ross County Health Department, says that complaints of illegal tattoo parlors to the Chillicothe Police Department have increased over the last few years and that is why the health department is working with police to address the issue.
Avery says many problems can arise from getting a tattoo from unlicensed tattoo artists. The CDC lists over two-hundred possible complications that can develop from improperly performed tattoos including blood-borne illnesses, skin infections, and allergic reactions from tainted inks.
Chillicothe Police Captain, Keith Washburn, says along with the health risk of getting tattoos from an unlicensed artist, there are reports of other illegal activities associated with unlicensed parlors such as drug use and theft.
There are approximately five licensed tattoo parlors in Ross County, with that many or more operating illegally.
