hiv and hep c from tattooing

[icecube236]

Good morning doctors,

On 27th of this month I got tattoo at Thailand. My concern is HIV and Hepatitis C.I m vaccinated for hepatitis A and B as well. The tattoo was done with sterile needles opened in front of me, gloves where used at all the time by tattoo artist and color was taken from big bottles in new small color wells and dropped in trash along with needles after tattooing. My concern is because I have not seen the guy using autoclave machine for tattoo machine (gun) itself and tattoo tube (grip).He was using alcohol after he shaved my leg before tattooing and I think that he put some alcohol on machine and tube before he started. He was using brand new bandages to put on my leg latter. I was talking to him before we started and he said that he wash his equipment in water and soap before using every time but he never mentioned autoclave machine. Two days after tattooing I experienced low grade fever for couple hours and can be easy from something else not from tattooing because I was swimming a lot in the sea before tattooing and could be just cold. What are the odds to get infected in this manner and what is the earliest time for me to find out am I infected or not with one of the blood borne diseases. The tattoo studio was closed at 10 hours before I came because he is working from 17:00 to 05:00 and I got the tattoo at 19:00.I read that Hep C stays alive outside exposed to environment approximately 16 hours. If I new all this before I would never do that with out autoclave and proper sterilization.

Thank you so much

[icecube236]

He was using new needles and even if HIV was on anything else including his hands not just tattoo gun grip would not survive that long outside it host. My concern in this case would be especially hepatitis C.I will wait 3 months and get tested for both just to be on safe side.

Thank you for you trying to answer my question I hoping that way that I m thinking make sense

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Welcome to the Forum. I see that you asked the same question on the hepatitis forum.  I will make a few comments however your question really has more to do with the instruments needed for tattooing than anything else and that is something I know little about.

Certainly both hepatitis C and HIV can be transmitted when tattoos are made using unclean needles.  It sounds to me as though the measures your tattoo artist took were appropriate (i.e. using new, disposable needles and not using inks which might have been contminated) and should prevent infection as I doubt that the material from persons being tattooed moves up into the tattoo gun itself but as I said, this is something I am not expert in.  My guess is that your risk is low.  

The fever that you had 2 days after getting your tattoo was far too soon to be due to HIV or to hepatitis C and was certainly caused by something else.

Sorry I can't be of much more help.  If you choose to seek testing I would suggest waiting 6-8 weeks until you do so as earlier tests could be falsely negative.  While recommendations say that it can take up to 3 months for blood tests to become positive, that is rarely the case.  EWH