if someone has tattooes, how to politely find out if the person has hepatitis c

It is a thought, a question that occurrred to me when I
met someone who has several tattooes - as I have read
about hepatitis c that might possibly occur as a result of
tattooes. Is there a polite way to ask the person, or to
find out if the person has any problems re: hepatitis c?

idk, i can't think of a polite way to ask this but maybe someone else can! sorry. i guess some ppl wouldn't mind talking about it but others mgiht take offense. it can be a health hazard if someone is intimate with a hep c infected person but i know some ppl who have kept it a secret from their partner. i don't agree with that approach but that's just me.

Hep C can occur with tattoos, however, if done in a clean facility, with unused, autoclaved needles, gloves, etc. this is unlikely to happen. Also, you aren't going to catch hep. C by sitting next to someone, hugging them, etc. If you are going to be intimate with them, you have every right to know if they have been tested for hep c, and you don't have to find some special way to do it. Just say, if we're going to be intimate, I need to know if you've been tested for certain things, because I prefer to be safe when it comes to my health. If a person is NOT going to be intimate with you, and you're just friends, don't expect an answer (let alone an honest one). They might consider it personal, and think it's no one else's business, unless that person is going to be taking a risk being with them. But like I said, if the needle and facility was clean and things were done right hep c is possible, but unlikely. And again, if you are going to be intimate, you don't have to be ridiculously delicate about it. It's your business and your risk if you're getting physical with someone, AND they should be very open and honest in such a situation. If you need it for peace of mind, you can also get them to sign out copies of the test results and show them to you.

i have a freind that is a tatoo artist he always has clean needless he is also very clean and he takes the time doing a tat thats his work on someone arm,or leg etc. and try saying this where did you get them let him tell you the story of his tat's because they all have storys behind them.
also how old is he ? a young guy or older......

Thankyou for these ideas.
The age of this person - he said that he is in his 40s.

Here may be a way to ask [ lead to a clue ] , ........... In random convo about flu outbreak and severity this year ,, say something about how you thought you had caught the flu , ? ate bad food , ? or got a case of Hep A . Then just half smile / smirk / roll eyes , and say " Bad Food ".

You can continue to say with some knowledge , You have read that hepatitis first sign is fatique , sleeping alot , and loss of appetite , prior to the discoloration of skin .

Drop the subject at that point and see if you used the right bait while fishing these waters .
Just for yours and others info ,,,,, ( " True Story " ) , My Love , My Best Friend Forever , She was in medical fields for 18 years , tested often [ yearly ] , Some years back was tested for all varieties of hepatitis , came up negative and was vaccinated for hep * A * , & * B * , . We were intimate as relationships go , never used male protection device , [ although later in the relationship , ] it depended on birthdays , some holidays , and " what are YOU ? Thinking " ? LOL .

BTW . , I have genotype A.1 [ Pacific rim ] , strain of Hep C , & and was DX'ed in 78 - 1979 , with non A , non B , hepatitis . This was later to be proven to be Hep C .

Hope this helps a little .
WMD.

Me having several tattoos I think the way I would want someone to ask me would be to just me about my tattoos. Like where I got them. If they name a specific parlor then you can do the research yourself or just ask them something like "is that a nice place? I was thinking of getting a tattoo but want to get it done at a clean facility." that way it looks like youre asking for yourself. Then if they say where they got them done or the specific person that did it and they think theyre giving you information for your own use it wont look like "Im accusing you of having a disease" or anything like that.

You always have to remember that they could be lying. And that they could lie from you asking them like that or they could lie with you asking them "hey, you wouldnt happen to be tested for Hepatitis C would you?" and since medical records are confidential and you cant just go and ask their doc if its true you have to go by their word.

But if someone were to round-about ask me thats how I would want it so I dont feel like im being accused or anything. Just pretend like youre doing research bc you want to get a tattoo yourself.

i think it's rude. like, i dont have tattoos myself, but i do have a fair few piercings, and i would be upset if someone was trying to figure out if i had hep c just because i had a few piercings.

of course, if we were going to be intimate, then i wouldnt mind at all if they wanted to know i was std-free, but to pinpoint it so specifically to hep c would make me upset.

Rose,

Hep C is not "contagious" either sexually(very small percentage) or orally or water or air borne...... "mostly" only through needles, blood or unprotected(how do I put this delicately?) "posterior penetration" and even with that it would have to be very often and vigorous. The likelihood of catching Hep C through protected sex is almost nil.

I worked in a hospital for 5 years and I was in contact with blood and tissue constantly. I was exposed to HIV, Hep C, Hep B(the nasty one), syphilis, gonorrhea, tuberculosis and god knows what else. Once, I accidently dropped a tube of a patients serum and some of it splashed on my face and a bit splashed up underneath my glasses into my eye......terrifying, I got to say. I had to undergo needlestick protocol and I came up fine.

I wore gloves, and safety glasses and a lab coat but exposed to open blood products all the time. I was inoculated against hep B but no vacc for Hep C.
If you are sensible you will be fine.......

As for asking a person about their tattoo......I would just come out and ask......it is your health in question here. I have a tattoo and my partner asked me when we met if I had had "testing" since getting it, and I had(sorry delisquese, Life and working in a hospital has made me a bit blunt!!).

Honesty is the best policy..........

P.S. My sons father had Hep C from using unclean needles........he did not tell me that he had it and I took him at his word when he told me.........and when I met him, he started on the methadone program........I got pregnant, AND thats when he decided to tell me.......I was so angry and scared for my child .......but after talking to a couple of virologists.......I was told that Hep C as very hard to transmit through sex(you would have to have ALOT of it unprotected, high percentage in sex workers) and does not transmit to the child in utero unless the mother has a case of Hep C. Just wanted to clear that up.......thought I should explain why I should know so much about it........did ALOT of research.

I think I would be insulted frankly. there are alot of people without tats that have hep c. I do understand that some tat artist are not very reputable so I guess I would do like others say and ask where they had them done and go investigate the place for myself. hep c I believe is mostly only transmitted thru blood contact. not 100 % sure on that though.