Unhygienic and illegal Tattoo shops flourish in Goa?

PANAJI: Several illegal and unhygienic tattoo studios, shops and outlets are operating in the coastal belts of Goa, without the fear of the law, bringing a bad name to Goa tourism. While in the post-Covid scenario, tattoos are more popular than ever, the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) reported people developing infections from contaminated equipment and tattoo inks, as well as serious and adverse reactions to the inks, pigments and other ingredients.

According to experts, while you can get serious infections from unhygienic practices and equipment that isn’t sterile, infections can also result from tattoo ink that was contaminated with bacteria or mold (fungus) or any other microorganisms.

Using non-sterile or outright contaminated water (tap water in some places) to dilute the pigments (ingredients that add color) is a common cause for infection, although not the only one, opines the US FDA.

The worst part is there’s no sure-fire way to tell if the ink is safe claims an advisory issued by the USFDA. The ink can be contaminated even if the container or vial is sealed and air-tight or the label says the product is sterile.

Contaminated inks (cheap) are frequently used by the tattoo shops in Goa, alleges a social activist Roshan Fernandes who hails from Nerul in North Goa.

Sudesh Mayekar, village panchayat panch member and MLA candidate (from the Calangute Constituency), opines that the tattoo business in Goa is totally unregulated and most of the outlets would never get a license if the government introduced such a move.

“Many tattoo shops in the North Goa belt, do not even have a Panchayat shop license, forget about a Health department or FDA license,” Mayekar reveals, fretting about the standards of hygiene and safety in these so-called studios and outlets.

Youth activist Nashville D’souza also from the Calangute constituency in North Goa, alleges that some tattoo shops use equipment which is not properly sterilized and most of the time could be contaminated.

“Others do not use gloves and masks while working with clients and very often the equipment is not properly sterilized and water and other ingredients or consumables used are not sterile,” D’souza claims.

Medical experts state that there are still a lot of unanswered questions about the long-term effects of the inks and pigments, other ingredients, and possible contaminants in tattoo inks.

The US FDA has acknowledged reports of bad or allergic reactions to tattoo inks right after tattooing and even years later.

One can become allergic to other products, such as hair dyes, if your tattoo contains p-phenylenediamene (PPD), claims the US FDA in its online advisory.

Yet another activist, Benedict D’souza, a former Parra Panchayat (North Goa) ward member claims that tattoo shops put profits above hygiene.

“The idea for them is to make the maximum money (to pay the high rents of prime real estate) from the tourists and all other issues can go to hell,” D’souza claims, demanding that the Goa Health department and the FDA, must conduct periodic and random checks as well as issue safety and hygiene certifications to tattoo studios and shops after conducting an audit.

Attempts to contact Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane were futile as the Minister did not respond to our SMS and WhatsApp message requests for a comment. We will update this post when Rane responds to our message.