Tweens driving local tattoo demand

Girls as young as 14 are queuing up to get their bodies pierced in Dubai. While piercing body parts have become a trend among Dubai’s young, the growing popularity of tattoos among the trendy has brought to light the lack of licensed facilities in the emirate.

Most of these eager-beavers get the job done at unlicenced facilities where no rules are followed.

For instance, according to Zahra Refaei, Director of Deparis Medical Centre in Dubai, those below 21 years of age should be accompanied by parents or guardians for the procedure. “It is very important for parents to know what their teenage children is doing. These are permanenet marks that will remain on their body,” she warns.

Tattoo is banned in Dubai and the police recently arrested four men and busted a tattoo ring operating from Bur Dubai. The thriving ‘underground’ tattoo business in Dubai is worth millions with more than 100 professional tattoo artists operating in the emirate.

Customers need to beware of the dangers and risks of infections, too. Unsterilised needles are the most common cause of infections, said Refaei, whose centre is the only licenced centre in Dubai.

Permanent tattoos are made by using needles to inject coloured ink below the skin's surface. Tatoos are also used as permanent make-up that mimics the results of cosmetic products such as an eyebrow pencil, lip liner, eyeliner, or blush. Refaei says she uses tattoo for medical purposes on patients who suffer from social stigmas due to certian medical complications. “We use tattoos to reconstruct areolar painting in breast cancer patients; we tattoo white patches on vitiligo patients; tatoo eyebrows last for at least a year, she adds.

She gets her colours from Germany and uses only for medical purposes.  While tattoo and piercing is emerging as a popular culture among youngsters, residents should keep in mind the culture, their family background, religious and social acceptance of the place where they live in, she reminds.

Some of the risks involved in tattoo process, according to the FDA, are infections such as Hepatitis and HIV caused by dirty needles; allergies to various ink pigments; scarring especially while removing a tattoo; formation of granulomas on skin and even MRI complications as patients suffer from swelling or burning sensations when they undergo MRI scans. This, however, happens very rarely.