Are backyard tattoo artists risking their clients' health?

A Rockingham tattoo artist has warned against backyard jobs, with at least one person a week entering his studio asking for a tattoo gone wrong to be fixed.

Sinister Ink tattoo manager Filipe Veiga said the bad results of backyard tattoos had become apparent in the two years he had worked in Rockingham.

“It is happening a lot more than it should be,” he said.

“It is at least once a week so there must be a tremendous amount of equipment on the streets that shouldn’t be out there”

Mr Veiga, who has worked in the industry for six years, said people were risking their health when opting for a backyard tattoo.

“You risk the chance of picking up Hepatitis C, staff infections or even AIDS,” he said.

“A lot of the time they are not using sterilised equipment.

“It is bad to be left with a bad piece – sometimes you can fix them up but sometimes you can’t.”

The warning comes after a Rockingham mother contacted the Telegraph, outraged her underage son had been able to get a tattoo in the area. Mr Veiga said the studio often had teenagers asking about tattoos but they were refused.

“The only way an underage person can get one is if they are 17 and have both parents’ consent and one parent is physically with them,” he said.

“There are a lot of people who get tattoos who aren’t underage and regret it, so spend some time and think about it.”

Baldivis resident Daniel Johnson, who was adding a deep-sea octopus to his nautical-themed body art, said his tattoos were a “self expression” and people should be careful not to rush into getting inked.

“Make sure whatever you get means something to you – make it a part of your life. That way you won’t regret it,” he said.