ANDERSON, Ind. — Ashley Lakey got her first tattoo at 16 at someone’s home. Several years and at least 30 tattoos later, she realizes that was a huge mistake and is now a stickler for tattoo safety.

“When I was young I didn’t realize all the risks that go with it,” the Pendleton woman said. “I didn’t think about what I was exposing my body to and what kinds of things I could pass along to my family members. When I went to a shop to see how it was supposed to be done, I haven’t turned back since.”

That message is one Triniadale Stewart-Goldsmith hopes area residents get — tattoos outside of a regulated and certified tattoo parlor are extremely dangerous.

Stewart-Goldsmith, Madison County public health nurse and tattoo and body piercing inspector for the county health department, said those getting tattoos outside of the regulated environment of a certified shop are at a high risk for HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B and C and several other diseases and infections like staph and MRSA.

“You could get the letter ‘A’ tattooed on your ankle at a tattoo party,” she said. “And that letter could cost you your life.”

The Madison County Health Department requires that all tattoo and piercing businesses be licensed as well as the specific artists in those shops, department public information officer Kellie Kelley said. Their main goal with the strict licensing and inspection process is to ensure the safety of the public, she said, and trying to prevent the spread of communicable diseases.

The health department monitors the cleanliness and sterile practices in place, but Kelley said they also need the cooperation of those seeking to get a tattoo or piercing. She pointed out that potential clients need to be sure that the facility is clean, the artist is using gloves and proper equipment, has the required certificates and licenses and to look at the expertise of the artist.

Brian “Fish” Fischer, owner of Studio X Tattoos & Body Piercing in Anderson, said safety is their No. 1 priority. He said that Madison County’s strict licensing and fees to start a shop — $500 to get a permit for a tattoo establishment and a $100 a year licensing fee per artist — help keep the area studios in line. But there are still some who fall under acceptable practices.

“Even with all that, artists aren’t required to get any kind of tattoo specific training,” Fischer said. “A lot of things can go wrong with a tattoo. But a good tattoo artist has done an apprenticeship and will know what is required and will be able to do things properly and safely.”

A frustration for Fischer is when he hears about improper practices in place at other shops. That, he said, gives the industry and good artists and shops an undeserved black eye. Although he said Madison County’s rules seem stricter than most, he thinks they should be even tighter, requiring artists go through a two-year apprenticeship before they are allowed to tattoo without close supervision.

“We’re professionals and we take safety seriously,” he said. “We know we are doing the job right and know what we are doing.”

Fischer explained that everything they use that comes into contact with a customer is either disposable or properly covered and protected with barrier film. Everything is cleaned between clients with medical-grade disinfectant.

Lakey said when she gets a tattoo she wants to make sure she has researched the artist. She is sure to check to see that the person has the proper licenses and certifications in place. Lakey looks at the artist’s work to ensure that it is up to par, and she wants to walk into a tattoo studio and feel that it is a clean and safe environment.

Stewart-Goldsmith said they do inspections of each facility before a permit is issued. They check to make sure the establishment has all the proper equipment in place as well as all the required certification and licensing for the individual artists. And each shop is inspected at least two times a year.

Anytime the health department receives a complaint the tattoo studio is immediately inspected, and Stewart-Goldsmith doesn’t leave the building until the problem is remedied. An unannounced inspection is done after the violation to be sure things are still running in proper order, she said.

The county has had the current ordinance in place for tattoo establishments since 2005. In that time, the health department has never had to close any establishment because of a violation, Stewart-Goldsmith said. The shops work well with the department, she said.

Contact Abbey Doyle, 640-4805, abbey.doyle@heraldbulletin.com.