Step by Step guide to your first tattoo

If you are considering getting your very first tattoo and are a bit hesitant or are full of anticipation, rests assure it is a common feeling that most all people go through their first time. Not knowing what is going to happen can often hold us back from getting the tattoo. This 5 step guide below should help you turn your anticipation into excitement.

1. Plan your design

Do not panic if you are not an artist. You will find many tattoo artists that can help you plan a terrific design that will work for your skin. You can also search on the Internet or through magazines for images and photos for reference, like at thetattooshop.co.uk for instance. Decide what you like and dislike on each photo. You can sketch out your design or have it sketched out based on your selections.

2. Research Your Artist

Ask friends and family who have already gotten their first tattoo to recommend a place for you to go. You can also check with the BBB to see the establishment's record, see if there are any complaints and things like that. Make sure they are licensed for your state when you call for an appointment. Take a look around when you do arrive for your appointment. Check to see how clean the facility is and if the artist is well groomed and clean. What is their experience? Check out some work examples. Keep in mind this tattoo will be on your skin for life, so make sure you really check them out well. Experienced artists with immaculate facilities are the way to go.

3. Prep Yourself

Moisturize your skin thoroughly during the week before your appointment. The healthier your skin is prior to your appointment, the better and easier it will go. Drink plenty of water to keep yourself hydrated since hydrated skin is better to work with too. Refrain from drinking any alcohol 24 hours prior to your appointment. Alcohol thins the blood and can cause bleeding.

4. Arrive to Appointment Early

Arrive a few minutes earlier than your schedule appointment when it is your first tattoo. This way, you can go to the restroom, fill out any necessary paperwork like a release form and have your questions answered before it is time to get inked. Do not be hesitant about asking any questions and let the artist know of any concerns like if there will be pain, what tattoo machines they use or other concerns.

5. After Care

Once your tattoo is finished, the artist will likely wash it down with an antibacterial soap and add some Vaseline on it. They will then cover it with a sterile dressing which absorbs drainage. This drainage is normal. It is your body's way of sending off white blood cells that will ward off infection. Be sure to follow your tattoo artist's recommendations for after care properly.

Author Bio:
The author of this post, Maria is a professional writer. She excels in writing articles related to fashion and beauty. If you are interested to have a tattoo and looking for tattoo machines,I think you don't need to go anywhere. Stop by www.thetattooshop.co.uk and find your tattoo kits and ink here.

Effect of Childhood Vaccines, Immune System

Certain vaccines may not work as well in children who have been exposed to high levels of perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), a family of chemicals used to make everything from microwave popcorn bags and pizza boxes to carpets and nonstick cookware, new research suggests.

In a study published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers found that the higher the level of PFCs in a child's blood, the fewer antibodies the child produced after receiving vaccines for diphtheria and tetanus. In addition, kids with higher PFC exposure were more likely than their peers to have antibody levels too low to provide protection against those infectious diseases.

"The immune system is more sluggish when these kids are vaccinated," says lead author Philippe Grandjean, MD, an adjunct professor of environmental health at the Harvard School of Public Health, in Boston. "It doesn't respond as well…and produces less antibodies."

The number of antibodies generated by a vaccine is an indication of overall immune system function, so the findings suggest that PFCs may have negative effects on the immune system that go beyond these two vaccines, the researchers say.

Although experts haven't identified all the ways that PFCs enter the body, contaminated food and drinking water and consumer products containing the chemical are believed to be the main sources of PFC exposure.

Research in animals has already linked PFC exposure to changes in immune function. To determine whether the chemicals might affect the human immune system as well, Grandjean and his team took blood samples from 587 pregnant women between 1999 and 2001 and tested the samples for five common PFCs. Then, when the women's offspring were 5 years old, they repeated the process using blood samples from the kids.

The researchers also measured levels of diphtheria and tetanus antibodies in the children's blood at two time points: at age 5, after the kids had received three doses of the diphtheria and tetanus vaccine; and at age 7, two years after they'd received a booster shot.

Higher prenatal levels of two PFCs were associated with having fewer antibodies at age 5. Likewise, kids whose blood revealed higher PFC exposure at age 5 had fewer antibodies at age 7. A 5-year-old whose PFC exposure was double that of another 5-year-old's could be expected to have roughly half as many antibodies at age 7, the study estimates.

The findings raise the possibility that health officials are overestimating the protection provided by childhood vaccines, Grandjean says. If the percentage of vaccinated children "includes kids who are exposed to PFCs and therefore not responding to the vaccine," he says, the likelihood of an epidemic may be higher than it would appear from vaccination rates.