The tattoo industry is one of the fastest growing today, and with any industry whose demand out paces the supply, the usual inevitable problems will occur, mainly a poor quality product and droves of uninformed impulsive buyers. The rub with tattoos is that you can’t return them and get you money back and are stuck with an inferior product for life, the option of a lawsuit, and/ or a couple thousand dollar removal bill.
So who is to blame, and how can the problems be fixed? The “who” question is an easy one; the owners of the tattoo studios are responsible for the “quality” of their product, period, and should meet an industry standard. It’s hard to blame the individual artists, unless they are also the owner, it’s up to the individual owners to evaluate the skills of their employees, and it’s their responsibility to offer an acceptable product. It doesn’t take an art critic to tell if someone has artist talent, and every potential tattooist should go through an extensive apprenticeship, mastering the required skills involved.
As far as making a bad tattoo choice, that is up to the consumer discretion, although the shop should at least offer their opinion, especially if it is a first tattoo, and more studios should have customers sign off on the design, such a wavier would avoided any controversy, as in the case of the girl with the 56 stars on her face.
Unfortunately, until the supply catches up to the demand, it is up to the consumer to find the truly qualified technicians and this can only be done by doing research and becoming and educated consumer, only then will you get an accurate representation the design you chose.
For more information on how to educate yourself on tattoo decisions visit Angel Heart Tattoo.
