Will getting a tattoo prevent me from being a regular blood donor as I am now?

-- Pamm

A tattoo per se will not prevent you from donating blood, as long as you do not contract any communicable diseases from the tattoo. If you go to someone other than a reputable professional tattoo artist who uses new needles for every client, whose parlor is clean and tidy, and who wears disposable latex gloves while doing your tattoo, then you may be exposed to hepatitis or even HIV.

In many communities, tattoo parlors must be licensed by the department of health. Check with your local health department for any prior negative reports or citations against the tattoo artist you are considering. Make an appointment or drop in at the facility before you actually commit to having the tattoo; if it looks unclean, go elsewhere. Make sure you see the needles being removed from their packaging, so you know they have not been used on anyone else, and watch that the needles used on you are properly disposed of in biohazard containers (usually red plastic).

Blood donation agencies may have differing rules as to what constitutes high-risk behavior and whose blood they will reject based on those behaviors. Before you get a tattoo, I suggest you contact your local Red Cross, or any other agency through which you give blood, and ask about the rules.