Body modification includes piercings, tattoos, and other procedures that alter a person's natural appearance. While many view it as a form of self-expression, there are also health risks like infection and allergic reactions. Teenagers often get tattoos or piercings without considering future consequences, such as difficulty finding employment that prohibits visible body art. Stories from people who later regretted their body modifications show why carefully thinking through decisions is important.

1. Body Modification
By: Jiaxin Ma ( Linda )

2. What is Body Modification?
- Body modification is anything that
is done to your body that changes
your natural appearance. It’s
often done for aesthetics, rites
of passage, religious beliefs, to
display group membership or
affiliations. To create body art,
for values, self-expression or
several other reasons.
- Examples are: Piercings & tattoos.

3. Now a days, it’s very common to see more and more people getting tattoos
and piercings. Especially teenagers and people through early ages. People
choosing it as a way to reflect their identity. reflects an aspect of who they are,
fashion statements ,represents personality, interests, goals, life philosophy.
Due to the technology today, People are looking for new ways to change the
way they look, examples are: Tongue splitting, Permanent Eye color surgery,
piercing on body parts, and surgeries on changing their facial shape.

4. People have become victims of tattooing
and piercing businesses. Most teenagers
get tattoos at the moment with out thinking
about the consequences.
Some people get a tattoo and then regret it
because they then realized that it looks ugly
or it wasn’t what they wanted. Having a
tattoo even effected them in their personal
and professional life. Tattoo removal
without scarring may not be possible.

5. Worst can happen.
• Getting a tattoo, or piercing, can cause Allergic reactions, Skin Infection,
Blood borne diseases, and MRI complications. Piercing and tattoos that’s
done with a dirty needles can cause you to contract Hepatitis and HIV.
• If you have a ear piercing, when it’s infected, the bacteria can grow into
your brain, it’s possible that It will cause brain damage if you don’t treat it
in time.

8. Interview
• Kini Kim. She is currently 18 years old who just had her first ear piercing in this
April.
• Two days later, she start to feel that her ears are getting swollen. When She
looked in the mirror, she saw her ears are getting infected, she didn’t want to
take it out until it got worst and she had to go to the doctor to get a treatment.
1. Why did you decide to get your ear pierced?
All my friend s are doing it, it looks pretty, so I want to get one too. I was going to get
my belly bottom pierced too. But I don’t think I will do that since I got infected from my
ear piercing and it hurts a lot.
2. Are you regret of getting the ear piercing done? Why?
Yes, when I got infected, the pain woke me up in the middle of the night. The doctor
told me its so dangerous that if I don’t take the earring out. It might be so bad that I
have to do a surgery on my ear.

9. 3. What do you think about people getting their body parts pierced?
I think people should really think about what they are doing, it might
look like something popular and small to do, and it’s never going to
get infected, But try to avoided getting pierced in places that’s really
sensitive, because it could be very dangerous.

10. Ying Sun, 20 years old. She got her first tattoo when she was 18,
she had a cross on her left hand. She had a laser removal when
she was 19, now she has a permanent scar on her left hand.
• 1. Why did you decide to get a tattoo?
I got it on my 18th birthday as a gift for my self.
2. Why did you get it removed? Are you satisfied
with the result?
I got it removed because I was really tired of it, I feel
so stupid that I got it without thinking if it’s really
what I want. I'm very unsatisfied with the result after
getting the laser removal. Because it hurt more than
when I was getting the tattoo, And plus, it didn’t
really go away, it left a scar on my left hand. It looks
very ugly.
4. What do you think about tattoos.
Most people don’t realize that a tattoo is permanent
, they will have it for the rest of their life, so
everyone should really think twice of what they
want to get, and if they really wants to get one.

12. Don’t be a victim.
• Teen tattoos are easy to get, but even easier to regret .
• Most teenagers get a tattoo to expressed their personality. But they
don’t see the consequences.
• Getting a tattoo can affect your health, Complete removal without
scarring may not be possible.
• After you graduated from college and thinking of getting the job you
wanted, you may not be able to get it because some jobs don’t allow
tattoos.
• Examples are:
• Most Hospitals
Most theme parks (Disney especially)
Delivery Drivers (Fedex and UPS specifically)
Many Retail Organizations (Petsmart, Blockbuster, Kohls, Costco, Old
Navy, Gap)
Fast Food (McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Wendys)
Most conservative jobs (anything in the financial industry, attorneys)
• Many people are discriminated against and miss out on job opportunities due to
their tattoos.
• I think the permissible age for tattoos, piercings and body modifications
should be at least, 21.

13. Sources.
• ABCNEWS.COM > GMA> MORE GOOD MORNING AMERICA>
PARENTING. ( Teens and Tattoos.
• ConsumerReports.org > Consumer News ( Teen Tattoos )
• http://teenstattoosandpiercings.com/index.html
• About.com > Ages and Stages: Teens > Teen Culture > Teens
and Tattoos.
• Huffingtonpost.com > Teens And Tattoos: “ think Before you
Ink”

14. Questions?
• What permissible age for tattoos, piercing and body
modifications do you think it should be ?
• Do you know anyone that has been a victimized by permanent
body changes?
• Are you thinking of getting a tattoo?
• What questions should you ask yourself before getting a tattoo?

15. Works Cited
• "'I Lied about Tattoo Blunder Because My Father Was Furious': Teenage
Girl with 56 Stars on Her Face Finally Comes Clean." Mail Online. N.p., n.d.
Web. 10 May 2013.
• "What Is Body Modification?" Essortment. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2013.
• "What Jobs Dont Allow You to Have Tattoos?" WikiAnswers. Answers, n.d.
Web. 10 May 2013.
• Rivera, Rhonda, and John Allen. WiseGeek. Conjecture, n.d. Web. 10 May
2013.
• "Does Body Piercing Affect Your Health?" WikiAnswers. Answers, n.d.
Web. 10 May 2013.
• Staff, Mayo Clinic. "Tattoos: Understand Risks and Precautions." Mayo
Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 20 Mar.
2012. Web. 10 May 2013.