Diabetic Medic Alert Tattoos

Should you get a medical alert tattoo? It's just one more question many people with diabetes are pondering today. Living the D-life requires us to adhere to a huge list of do's and don'ts. We are suppose to eat this and not that, check our blood sugars, and wear medical alerts, to notify others that we have diabetes. Tattoos offer a trendy and customized approach to medical alerts but aren't diabetics suppose to avoid getting tattoos? That thought is being reconsidered by many physicians and people like Darren Brass, a diabetic and famous tattoo artist on the TV program Miami Ink.

I have recently been flirting with the idea of getting a small medical alert tattoo on my wrist that identifies myself as a Type I diabetic. I was thinking of a medical sign with the word "diabetic" inscribed below the image or something a little more interesting. Before I ran down to the local tattoo joint I thought I'd research the pros and cons of diabetics getting tattoos. Here is what I found.

• It identifies you as a person with diabetes just in case you experience a situation where your blood sugar drops so low you are unable to communicate.
• It helps emergency personnel and lay people who might find you unconscious quickly identify that you have diabetes and begin offering you the treatment you need.
• You don't have to remember to put on your medical alert bracelet, ring, or necklace.
• It's a fashionable way to show the world you have diabetes.
• It does not interfere with playing sports or exercise like medical alert jewelry can.
• It's a way of reminding yourself that you are taking control of your diabetes.
• It's a way to comfort your family members and friends by taking the right steps to protect your health.
• It's a more permanent solution to identifying yourself as a diabetic than wearing medical alert jewelry.

• It could increase your chances of infection. If you have high blood sugars or A1c's above 8% it is not recommended that you get a tattoo.
• If you do not like the results of the tattoo it is difficult to reverse.
• It generally costs more to get a tattoo than buy a medical alert piece of jewelry.
• It can be painful to get a tattoo.
• Blood sugar levels can fluctuate during the tattoo process itself as a result of the stress and pain you experience.
• Some might consider tattooing the word "diabetic" to be a negative way of labeling themselves with their disease.
• There is a small risk of getting Hepatitis C if the artist reuses needles that have not been adequately sterilized between customers.

Always Check With Your Physician First

Now that you are aware of some of the pros and cons of getting a medical alert tattoo as a diabetic, keep in mind that it is always best to speak with your physician before you get the tattoo. If your physician gives you the go ahead then be sure and insist that the tattoo artist uses single-use, disposable needles, unused ink in disposable containers, and that all the artist's equipment is sterilized in an autoclave and not just with bleach. Also be sure you follow all directions for keeping the tattoo clean after the procedure.

Things to Keep In Mind

Keep in mind that a tattoo will probably be with you through the rest of your life, picture yourself in the nursing home sporting your tattoo. In other words, think permanently about getting a tattoo because it is an expensive and painful process to have it reversed. If your child has diabetes and is interested in getting a medical alert tattoo but you are not ready for him or her to have permanent ink there are medical ID tattoos FDA-approved that you can purchase that stay on between 3-5 days. If you are interested in buying these tattoos here is a link to the T.H.O.R Foundation for Children with Diabetes. I'm not tattooed yet but I am looking for ideas and thinking about trying out a few of the temporary tattoos before getting inked.