THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, September 9, 1996 TAG: 9609090032
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAT DOOLEY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 219 lines
On a kitchen countertop lies an open cellophane packet. The shiny sewing needle it once held is dropped into a pot of boiling water.
Freshly scrubbed hands slip on latex gloves, then grasp a pair of metal tongs, plucking the needle from its bath.
Thread is wound around the needle, and a fresh bottle of India ink uncapped. The needle is dipped into it, then poked into the skin, just deep enough to draw a little blood.
Jab. Jab. Jab.
It hurts a little, like getting a shot over and over. But soon, an image emerges.
Seventeen-year-old Kenneth Stovall shows off his homemade tattoo, lifting the right pant leg of the blue jeans that puddle at his high-top shoes.
On the inside of his ankle is the black line drawing of a bird's wing. About 2 1/2 inches in diameter, it's the insignia of Kenneth's favorite football team, the Atlanta Falcons.
Kenneth, who lives in Norfolk, wears the tattoo proudly - ever since his 19-year-old brother carved it into his skin a few months back. ``A jailhouse tattoo, that's what they call it,'' Kenneth said. ``A lot of people have them now.''
Many are teen-agers, who buy India ink at local art-supply shops for about $2 a bottle and use it to tattoo themselves and friends, sometimes in large ``tattoo'' parties.
They are kids with body pierces, goatees, and cigarettes tucked into pockets. They are kids with varsity letters, straight A's, and granola bars toted in backpacks.
They show their tattoos to friends, but seldom clue in parents or teachers - hiding their artwork with clothing or adhesive bandages.
That secrecy contributes to the lack of statistics. Many teen-agers, including several interviewed for this story, don't want to be identified because they haven't told their parents or they are ashamed.
But local art-supply dealers, professional tattoo artists and dermatologists say homemade tattoos are becoming more popular among teens in Hampton Roads.
``We see it all the time,'' said Mark Hartung, whose family owns Hartung Gallery & Art Supplies in Portsmouth.
One reason for the popularity of homemade tattoos is that it is illegal to operate a tattoo parlor in South Hampton Roads. Owners of parlors elsewhere in Virginia say they typically do not tattoo anyone under 18.
``I tell everybody I sell it to that this . . . is a permanent ink,'' said Hartung. ``Once they do it, it's there for a lifetime.''
Because the drawings are etched into layers of skin, the tattoos cannot be erased without costly surgery - something many a sorry teen has discovered.
But problems are more than skin-deep: Self-tattooing carries the risk of illness or even death from dozens of potential infections, health officials say - including hepatitis and human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, which causes AIDS.
No reports of serious illness or deaths from self-tattooing have been reported locally, according to the Virginia Department of Health.
But several teens say they've seen homemade tattoos that have become infected. Sometimes the healed-over skin is scarred or raised.
The art of self-tattooing is nothing new. Body art dates to the Egyptians of 1300 B.C., and cultures around the world use tattoos to ward off evil, express themselves or bond with others.
The current popularity of body art among superstars - basketball player Dennis Rodman, musician Axl Rose, and actress and comedian Roseanne - has influenced teens and young adults, who sometimes act on a lark or dare, said Dr. David H. McDaniel, a Virginia Beach dermatologist.
``We're seeing a rise in tattoos of all types in younger people,'' said McDaniel, who specializes in laser surgery to remove tattoos.
The tools of the home-tattoo trade are easy to get. It is not against the law for art shops to sell India ink to teen-age customers. But several shop managers said they keep supplies locked in a cabinet or behind a counter, to discourage its use beyond calligraphy or drawing.
One high-school art teacher said India-ink supplies are locked up at his school because some teens will use it for self-tattooing.
``Kids have been using that stuff forever but we've seen more in the last few years,'' said Lynn Potter, manager at Paul's Art Supplies, on Little Creek Road in Norfolk.
It's a little more mainstream than it used to be, said Patrick Jones, a clerk at Paul's.
While India ink is the medium of choice, some teens use mascara, ballpoint-pen ink, food coloring or soot, McDaniel said.
Sometimes, self-styled body artists even rig tattoo ``guns'' from the motors of mini fans, toy cars or portable CD players, or buy the apparatus from the backs of magazines.
Tattoos range from the mundane to the exotic. What has been dubbed ``tribal art'' - and characterized by thick, curvy, lines - has a renewed following, McDaniel said.
Also popular are hearts, crosses, initials, flowers and new-age symbols, as well as satanic emblems such as the pentagram, a five-pointed star, McDaniel said.
Names are common, too. Jimmy Oakley, a 17-year-old from Norfolk, used a ballpoint pen and a needle to engrave his nickname, ``LiL J,'' into his left forearm.
Popular spots for tattoos include the hand between the thumb and index finger, or the lower arm, McDaniel said. The knuckles are a favorite for spelling messages, such as ``L-O-V-E'' and ``H-A-T-E.''
Girls often emblazon their buttocks or upper breasts with personal statements, boyfriends' names or roses.
But unlike the catch phrases, symbols and relationships they tout, tattoos don't diminish with time.
Kenneth Stovall - tall and goateed, an earring in each ear - knew his ankle art would be permanent. But he hoped it would look as professional as the team it represents. Instead, he lamented, its edges are uneven and lighter on one side.
When he turns 18, Kenneth's sister, Sandi Phelps, said she'll pay to have Kenneth's tattoo covered with a professional design.
Phelps, 24 and co-owner at Billy's Pizza in Ocean View, sports a professional tattoo around her slim hips - a green vine interspersed with red roses. She's seen plenty of homemade tattoos, but she says she'd never get one because the results are often poor.
Many homemade tattoos produce little more than regrets, say professional tattoo artists, who often see young people embarrassed by crudely drawn body art.
``We do a lot of cover-up,'' said Dean Baumgartner, a tattoo artist at Army-Navy Tattoo in Grafton.
People who change their minds about tattoos once had few options.
Marks could be masked by more elaborate tattoos, or thinly veiled by flesh coloring. Dermabrasion or surgery to cut out tattoos can leave scars.
Today, lasers break down many inks, dermatologist McDaniel said. Most homemade tattoos require three or four treatments over several months - at an average of $200 to $300 per treatment. Removal is not covered by insurance.
Several tattooed teens a week visit McDaniel at the Laser Center of Virginia - often at the hand of an angry or anxious parent who's discovered the hidden artwork.
``Lots of daddies bring in their sons and daughters,'' said Scottie Hilis, McDaniel's assistant.
By the time they go to McDaniel, some people already have tried homemade ``remedies,'' including lemon juice, sandpaper, peroxide or salt to get rid of their tattoos.
Some techniques may lighten the ink, but many increase the risk of scarring or infection, McDaniel said.
What usually does wear off, however, is the excitement of having done something daring or unique.
One 16-year-old honor student living in Virginia Beach returned from a recent vacation - her first time away from home - with seven homemade tattoos.
``At first, I thought, `I'm not gonna tell my mom,' '' said ``Terri,'' who asked that her real name not be used.
``But one or two days after I had it done, I called her up about 2 o'clock in the morning, and I just started crying . . . I knew she'd be mad at me.''
When her mother saw the tattoos, she cried too. ``I looked at her and said, `Why'd you do this to yourself?' ''
Terri, whose India-ink designs dot her body from ankle to shoulder, said she was neither drunk nor high when she was tattooed - only intoxicated by the prospect of ``finally getting to have one.''
``After I got the first one done, I wanted to have more, more, more.''
A 19-year old stranger - a friend of her best friend - did the artwork.
``I was real scared,'' Terri said. ``I was shakin' pretty bad.''
He told her to hold still if she wanted the art to look good.
``The first couple of minutes it stings like a bee sting, like when you're getting a shot,'' she said. ``After that your skin goes numb.''
About an hour later, Terri had three small designs over her left breast, another on her ankle, her shoulder, her hand and her buttocks. Her tattoos included a rose, her initials and a peace sign.
``It was all spur-of-the-moment,'' she said, seated cross-legged on a living-room sofa at home, her hands tucked under a throw pillow.
Terri said her summer fun was short-lived. At school, her friends were admiring, and even asked where they could get tattoos. But there were other questions, too.
Was she in a gang? How did she expect to get a job later in life? How would her tattoos look as she aged?
Soon, mother and daughter visited McDaniel for the first of three laser treatments to fade the tattoos over several months - at a cost of nearly $1,000.
Terri, who works part time for her church, is paying for most of the surgery.
``It was her idea to pay for it,'' her mother said.
Terri has been told her tattoos likely will fade without a trace - not the case with all tattoos.
She also was tested for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, because her mother worried about infection from the needle.
Terri's test results were negative. But health professionals say the threat of infection is real.
Sometimes there are tattoo parties where kids get drunk, get high and get tattooed. Tattoo tools sometimes are shared, with a single needle used on several people.
``That's an extremely risky behavior to practice,'' said Bob Howard, spokesman for the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
Kids sometimes think they're safe dipping new needles in alcohol or boiling them in water. But any time you puncture the skin, Howard said, there is danger from infection. Further, the ink may contain contaminants or bacteria, or the needle could puncture a vein or scar the skin.
``These kids don't know how deep to go,'' Howard said. ``They are doing tissue damage and opening up an avenue to infection.''
Tattoo parlors are not permitted in South Hampton Roads, for fear of infections, local health officials said. But tattoo artists, whose parlors are common on the Peninsula and in Isle of Wight County, said they practice sterile techniques and do not tattoo anyone under 18.
While several professional tattoo artists acknowledge a trend toward tattoos among the young, they also caution teens who think they want them.
``Wait until you're old enough to know if you want to live with that all your life,'' said Jerry Rieger, owner of American Tattooing in Carrollton.
Terri hopes other teens will think before they act.
``I'm 16 years old, I'm a girl and I have seven tattoos. . . . I don't like having these. I really don't.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photos]
HOMEMADE TATOOS
The popularity of body art among people like pro basketball player
Dennis Rodman helps fuel the fad.
Popular spots for tattoos include the hand, in the fold between a
person's thumb and index finger.
LAWRENCE JACKSON
The Virginian-Pilot
Jimmy Oakley, 17, of Norfolk, used a ballpoint pen and a needle to
engrave his nickname, ``LiL J,'' into his forearm.
SIGNS OF TROUBLE
Here are some signs a homemade tattoo may be infected.
Get medical attention if you experience:
Redness, swelling or oozing.
Significant change in color of surrounding skin.
Pain that worsens.
Source: Bob Howard, spokesman for the National Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. by CNB