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Most parents and spouses of ADHDers dread the possibility their
ADHD teens and adults will end up with a tattoo sooner or later. They
often lecture their kids and loved ones about the dangers of tattoos,
but it just doesn’t seem to sink in. Unfortunately, statistics show that
upwards of 30 to 35 percent of all ADHD teens and young adults (under
age 35) will end up with one or more tattoos.
Why do ADHDer’s tattoo their bodies?
We think it has a lot to do with the ADHDer’s need for recognition and
control of his “body-personality”. Sometimes, it’s simply an attempt to
build self-esteem by directing others attention to a particular body
part of which they are proud or feel is unique to them. I’m sure you’ve
noticed muscular guys and gals tend to have tattoos placed on the most
muscular parts of their physiques. And of course, some ADHD girls have
tattoos placed just above the bra or panty line for the same effect.
Often, a young lady with shapely legs will have a tattoo around the
ankle or calf areas. Regardless of the location, the result is still the
same, “it’s a permanent scar” on what most parents and spouses would
declare to be sacred.
What are some of the problems associated with tattoos?
· Disapproval from parents, siblings, friends and teachers, which may
lead to further problems with self-esteem and social isolation. In
addition, this type of stress can lead the ADHDer to look for “the
wrong kind of friends” who will approve of his attempt to get
recognition.
· Problems with present or future employment if the tattoo is in an area
where it can’t be covered by clothing. A lot of employers have hiring
restrictions when it comes to persons with extensive, readily seen
tattoos. This is especially true in the service industry, as it would be
unwise to hire persons whose body art may offend a customer.
· Tattoos have been associated with developing Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C,
and syphilis. It has been reported that the odds of converting to
Hepatitis C positive after a commercial Tattoo are 6.5.
· Tattoos are very difficult to remove. They can’t usually be removed
with a single treatment whether by laser or surgery. It can take 10 to
12 individual treatments to remove one and the cost of laser removal may
be in the $2000 to $3000 range dependent upon color and size. Red
and green pigments are very difficult to remove and laser removal of
yellow, orange and white tattoos may leave a grayish discoloration to
the skin.
· All types of tattoo removal including laser therapy are painful. Some
are more painful than others, and all will definitely leave a scar.
So, what is a parent or spouse to do when their ADHDer is old enough
to sign the consent for a tattoo and can’t be talked out of it?
Here’s advice from clinical dermatologists and family physicians:
· Try to convince them to use black ink and keep the tattoo as small as
possible to make it easier to remove if so desired. Black and blue
pigments tend to respond better to laser removal leaving less of a scar
and requiring fewer treatments.
· Ask the artist to use the newer microsphere type inks such as
“Freedom-2 ®”, as these pigments are much easier to remove by laser.
· Urge them to have the tattoo placed in an area where it would not
normally be seen when wearing their usual clothing or would keep them
from getting a good job in the future or losing the one they have.
· Ask them to avoid names of people, dates, poems, sexually oriented,
drug related, or violence-hate crime oriented tattoos, as these will
probably cause the above mentioned disapproval from everyone except
others with similar body art.
· Be sure the tattoo artist is properly licensed, has health
department certificates on the wall, and uses new, sterile needles and
ink. (I diagnosed a woman with Hepatitis C six months after she got a
tattoo from an artist in a neighboring state. The artist was reusing red
ink to save money, as it is one of the most expensive. The young lady
died in liver failure a year and a half later awaiting a liver
transplant!)
I know how difficult it can be when dealing with ADHDer’s who are really
craving attention and looking for any way to gain acceptance from
others. As a parent, we have a moderate amount of control over what our
ADHDer’s do to their body, but not total control. Since most states
allow 18 year olds to sign consent forms for body art application, I
think it wise to try to educate your ADHDer of the dangers and negative
social impact of tattoos before they start thinking about “their need”
or what their friends have done. In my experience, the average age
ADHDers think about tattoos tends to be 13 to 14 years.
Maybe you need to think about it now!
Dr. Frank
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