Tattoos

I took care of a 16-year-old girl the other day. Somehow we got on the subject of tattoos and she asked if I had any.  Quick answer is no.  Naturally her follow up question was why not.

Honestly the main reason I won't get a tattoo are my beliefs.  As Mormons we are taught from a young age that we should "respect our bodies as a gift from God" and "not disfigure ourselves with tattoos or body piercings." Knowing it's unethical to share my beliefs to patients (unless they ask), I gave another reason.

I've had similar conversations with my friends and coworkers.  When my colleagues ask if I'm going to get a tattoo I usually say I'm not interested.  When they insist on having more of an explanation than that I bring up the cost.

The better and more intricate the design (and having a good tattoo artist) can get pricy quickly.  I recently treated a patient in the emergency room with a nice piece of body art covering the side of her body. She admitted it cost her $350.  Several coworkers have admittedly spent over $500 for their designs.  I even found an article that will help you estimate how much your tattoo will cost.  Not to mention a botched tattoo coverup cost (or living with an ex's name/face tattooed on you).

I love to travel and I do it as frequently as I can.  For the amount of money I would drop on a tattoo I can do a lot of things (assuming I have $500 to drop on a tattoo).  From where I live I can go to NYC for a day (with extra money to go to the bathroom in case you aren't near any of the free ones), do a Segway tour of DC (when my kids are older), spend a few days at Ocean City or Virginia Beach, go to the Grand Canyon of PA, rent a cabin for a weekend in the Smoky Mountains, etc.  The longer I think about it the more trip ideas I can come up with.  I could even take a photography class online so I can take (and edit) better pictures for when I do get to these places (most of them are already on my 5 year vacation/day trip plans, some of these may come as a surprise to my wife).

Admittedly I thought about getting a tattoo at one point in my life.  And if I didn't feel strongly about my beliefs I would probably get a Disney themed or a Star Wars themed one.  I would definitely drop the money to have the light sabers with a UV glow to it.  But the combination of my beliefs and my desire to travel is much greater than getting a tattoo.

I don't care if you have tattoos and I will admire the new tattoos that are shown to me because, once again, most are fun to look at.  Many people like showing off their new body art because they are excited about it and who am I to rain on their parade?