Tattooing has received a bad reputation in the past and as a result have banned in some states and localities.

In the past two decades, shops with little or no regulation and little incentive towards taking precautions against health hazards have sprung up everywhere.

Simultaneously, tattoos have turned into trends among the youth of the nation - trends teens should avoid following, for their own sake.

Today, tattoos may be trendy but fashions change. What may be fashionable body decoration one day may be considered mutilation the next.

Even if trends don’t play a hand in making the decision of tattooing the body, a person’s perspective changes and in a few years what epitomizes ones individuality may not identify with the matured person.

This can lead to embarrassment or discomfort in the future.

My brother Andrew, 25, got a portrait of his girlfriend tattooed on his arm. Though the act seemed romantic, they later broke up leaving Andrew with the consequences of being impetuous. Now, he is faced with the embarrassment of his actions and with people’s undying curiosity.

Getting rid of his tattoo is a costly decision. Laser removal, the most common method, is priced per square inch and can range from $125- $200 for the first treatment. As a result, an individual ends up paying for unnecessary pain.

The number of treatments required for a tattoo removal depends on the size, location, depth, and color of the individual tattoo. In most cases some scarring or color variations remain.

Furthermore tattooing the body breeds society’s reinforcement of stereotypes.

Recent studies propose that tattoos suggest risky behavior in teens. The study, which was based on information from over 6,000 adolescents, shows that tattooing is a common behavior among those prone to morbidity and mortality.

Thus, a good student might ruin his or her image by falling under the stereotype of “rebel” - all because of a simple tattoo. Though this is a narrow-minded view, it is in the nature of people to judge what is different.

Sometimes it’s a question of professionalism.Andrew has a harder time finding a job than a person who is not tattooed because most employers believe that his appearance will “scare away” the customers.

In the past, employers required him to wear long-sleeved shirts to cover up his tattooed arm - something that isn’t pleasant in the middle of July in Miami.

Evidence shows that tattooing can be physically addictive. When the body is in pain, the brain releases chemicals that work like morphine. These natural peptides may be addictive, causing the person to have a desire for more tattoos.

It may sound silly, but the last thing teens need to worry about is becoming tattoo junkies who end up spending every penny they have on a “form of expression.”

The scary truth about tattoos is the amount of health risks the procedure includes.

Even in modern facilities tattooing is not without risks. There is still a high chance of allergic reactions to the pigments and exposure to blood borne pathogens.

According to an issue of Annals of Internal Medicine, there have been cases where young men began loosing muscle tissue in the surrounding area of their tattoos. Some research suggested that tattoo pigment contains potentially toxic compounds.

The practice of tattooing comes along with a number of risks, perceptions and responsibilities. Those who have tattoos defend their decision to express themselves by saying that their reason is unique.

The question is, is that unique reason worth the risk of a lifetime of torture?