New Ordinance: Bans Extreme Body Art
Bridget Faulkenberry, city environmental health manager, said that updating the tattoo ordinance in Lubbock is important because the old ordinance did not address body piercing. The ordinance is over 22 years old. It’s long way out of date. We needed to be in line with the times and with the state ordinance.
Spend a little time at a tattoo and piercing parlor, and it is quite obvious that times have changed. Earlobe piercing or a rose tattoo is no longer considered rebellious, and rebels are now moving onto more extreme measures.
In response to emerging trends in body piercing, its demerits, the opposition towards it in the society all into consideration, the Lubbock City Council approved a new ordinance, which prohibits extreme body art. It will go into effect from Aug. 1.
According to the ordinance, extreme body art is defined as any surgical procedure where many layers of skin or muscle are passed through with an object, such as a piece of jewelry. Extreme body modification trends including pocketing, or skin stapling, tongue splitting, uvula piercing and eyelid piercing have made their way to society’s forefront.
Though most extreme forms of body modification do not run rampant in Lubbock. But the goal of Faulkenberry was to prevent future piercing issues. And was trying to stay ahead of the curve. The updated tattoo and piercing ordinance also lowers the minimum age requirement to receive a tattoo or piercing from 21 to 18 years old.
Because extreme body modification is prohibited by the new ordinance, Bridget Faulkenberry believes that an influx of young people who will experiment with body art will be reduced by a significant amount in near future as that the age requirement has been lowered.
The new ordinance focuses on the danger in sanitation issues. According to the new ordinance, tattoo and piercing artists are exempted from the requirement to be tested for communicable diseases before they receive a permit. It is very unlikely that a tattoo artist will pass a communicable disease to a client during tattooing.
But this ordinance emphasizes that, the tattoo parlors will be required to perform spore tests on autoclaves once a month to prevent the transmission of blood-borne pathogens, such as hepatitis, HIV etc. An autoclave is a machine that sanitizes needles and other equipment. Spore tests determine whether the autoclave is working properly.
Wade Estepp, manager and piercer at Inkfluence, said requiring spore testing every month is a good idea because requiring frequent inspections will ensure autoclaves not only heat up to the correct temperatures but also that they work on the proper chemical level.
Lubbock City Councilman Gary Boren said that, some extreme piercings could have long-term consequences, affecting one’s employment opportunities or health later in life. Although the new ordinance will help cut down on health concerns, he hopes tattoo and piercing parlor patrons insure procedures are done in a safe manner.
As far as self-expression, Boren, expressed that people have the right to make their own choices whether it means piercing or tattooing their bodies or wearing unique clothing, but he said he hopes people will think before modifying their bodies. People make their own choice are solely responsible for them.