Woman's fury after tattoo goes septic
A WOMAN is threatening a Hampden Park tattooist with legal action after her new tattoo turned septic. The tattoo artist says he believes it was infected by the woman handling her pets. Environmental Health has carried out an investigation.
Sally Brown, 37, who lives in Langney, went to get two new tattoos at Martz Tatz, Mountfield Road, Hampden Park, on Thursday August 20.
She had two tattoos: one the initials of her best friend and the other a star, the size of a two pence piece, in memory of her pet rabbit, Poppy.
"I had a star because she was a little star," Miss Brown said.
Miss Brown paid 20 to the tattoo artist but in the days that followed the two tattoos, especially the star on her lower arm, developed an infection.
Miss Brown went to the doctor who prescribed antibiotics. When the pain and infection did not go she returned and her dose was increased to 1000mg tablets.
She wrote a letter to the tattoo parlour but did not receive an immediate apology or response. She called Eastbourne Borough Council who sent an environmental health officer to meet Miss Brown and to inspect the tattoo parlour.
Martin Thomas, the shop's boss, who did not tattoo Miss Brown, said, "All protocols were followed."
Asked if he had received other complaints, Mr Thomas, who has been a tattoo artist for nine years, said, "This is a first."
The artist who tattooed Miss Brown was Mr Thomas's colleague, who he has full confidence in.
Mr Thomas believes lack of proper after care is what caused the infection in Miss Brown's case.
He said, "The two things you do not do after having a tattoo are to go in the sea or to muck out animals."
Mr Thomas has offered a full refund of 20.
Eastbourne Borough Council requires all tattooists and cosmetic piercing establishments to register and inspects premises to make sure they do not pose a risk to public health and then issues a certificate of registration for each individual practising at the premises and for the premises itself.
A council spokesperson said, "This particular premises has been registered with us since April 2009. During a visit from an environmental health officer, the premises were found to have good practices and procedures in place and no other complaints have been received from members of the public."
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Monday 28 May 2012
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