Catherine Dodds at University of Bristol has worked alongside people living with HIV and artists to find out how to increase empowerment about Hepatitis and HIV risk in tattooing and piercing. These free resources for artists, clients and advocacy organisations will support studios and artists to develop safer and more inclusive working practices.
I am living with HIV or hepatitis and want to get a tattoo or piercing
For those of us living with HIV or Hepatitis, we may have a few extra things on our minds when considering tattoos or piercings, such as: What might I get asked? How will I respond? Can I pass on my virus? What are my legal rights? How do I find a place that will treat me with respect? For help with these questions, see this booklet.
In addition to this online version, your local HIV or Hepatitis support organisation may also have printed copies.
National AIDS Trust offers confidential, free support for people living with or affected by HIV who have faced discrimination. If you’ve experienced discrimination, contact us for advice, advocacy or support if you want to make a formal complaint.
Check if you’ve experienced unlawful discrimination using this support from Citizen’s Advice.
Anyone who has experienced discrimination under the Equality Act 2010 in Scotland, Wales or England can get help from the Equality Advisory Support Service (EASS) helpline. In Northern Ireland contact the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.
Your local HIV or Hepatitis support organisation might provide training to local tattooing and piercing studios. Ask if they have worked with any recently. They might also be able to put you in touch with other service-users who have had good experiences, or ask about recommendations on your behalf.
Our team have worked closely with Kezz Richardson at the Together Tattooing Network who is building inclusion in the industry through digital and in-person events for artists that identify as women, LGBTQIA+, BIPOC and people with disabilities. Find out more about these amazing artists who are dedicated to inclusion on Instagram.
I am a tattooing or piercing artist
Keeping your knowledge up to date allows you to take better care of your own and your clients’ health. That way you can focus on managing risk in the most effective and efficient ways, which saves you and your clients a lot of hassle and worry.
This inclusive consent form could be something use or modify in your workplace. It explains to clients that you hold their details securely and why you need to ask some specific health questions. Supportive and inclusive consent forms will build two- way trust. Thanks to Kezz Richardson @cockasnook for inspiration.
Your team will appreciate this tailor-made reminder about the steps to take when a needlestick injury happens at work.
You can put this up in your workplace to remind artists and clients that HIV testing is free and accessible.
You can put this up in your workplace to help artists and clients learn more about hepatitis and how to get checked.
Place this poster in a prominent space in your window or on your wall to proclaim your studio’s commitment to inclusion and respect.
The hygiene training course provided by @tattoosmarter offers loads of practical set up and studio advice including great information about HIV and Hepatitis.
We are part of the @togethertattoonetwork answering questions and sharing ideas among artists who are committed to inclusion. Come along and join in.
FAQs for artists
No it is not right. Under the UK Equality Act 2010 it is illegal to refuse or unreasonably change a service for someone living with HIV. Hepatitis is not named in the Act, but it can be considered a disability protected by law for those whose daily lives are affected (in certain circumstances).
Your universal precautions keep you and your clients safe, unless you poke yourself with the needle. UK data from 1999 to 2018 have found no new cases of HIV after 8765 reported significant occupational exposures among healthcare workers. Treatment means that now almost everyone living with an HIV diagnosis has an undetectable viral load, so they cannot pass on their infection. The risk of infection is a bit higher for Hep C and even greater for Hepatitis B, which is why keeping your own testing and your vaccinations up to date and calling 111 after an exposure to see if you need an emergency Hep B jab is important.
Knowing your client has a blood borne virus should not change your practice, because you should be using fresh protection and clean equipment with everyone. HIV and Hepatitis are not contraindications to tattooing, piercing or cosmetic procedures. The British HIV Association of specialist doctors states: “Collecting information about HIV status must be justifiable, as per current data protection legislation (Data Protection Act 2018 and General Data Protection Regulation 2018,) and is unnecessary in the context of tattooing, piercing and cosmetic or routine beauty treatments”.
If your insurer or your boss says you need to ask, show them this information.
I am from a training or advocacy organisation
This co-produced powerpoint slide deck includes trainer notes and full slides for a one-hour (or more) training session to be delivered by local experts to artists who work in your area. Please contact Catherine Dodds if you have any questions ahead of training delivery.
When you are running a training event, we encourage you to print off and distribute inclusive consent forms, needlestick posters, inclusive space posters and testing posters, all available for free in the Artists’ section of this site.
Training providers can email Catherine Dodds for a print-ready A4 training certificate that you can give to attendees at your locally-provided training events for artists.
Designed for local BBV advocates, this document shares learning from our local policy influencing journey in Bristol, including a list of existing (frequently outdated) national policy documents used as reference points regarding tattooing and piercing safety by many local authority licencing teams.
Why is this important?
HIV and Hepatitis related stigma and discrimination in tattooing and piercing is unfortunately too common and it is time for change. After finding that more than half of people surveyed in Manchester had been refused a beauty or hair treatment because of their HIV status, our friends at George House Trust are working to make it happen as are we.
A Bristol-based team devised HIV and Hepatitis Awareness for Tattoo and Piercing Artists, consulting and building trust with industry leaders and local artists, who shared how difficult it has been for them to find reliable information and non-judgemental support to build safer and more inclusive practice. So, the resources shared on this page have emerged from researcher/advocates Catherine and Natasha collaborating with artists, people with lived experience, clinical experts, advocacy experts and council staff to create these resources. These materials promote and support best practice in tattooing and piercing, while also helping people living with blood borne viruses (BBVs) to understand how the Equality Act (2010) protects them.
These resources should help to build more two-way trust between artists and their clients living with HIV and Hep – so everyone can be more confident and healthy. This reduces stigma and discrimination.
This project was funded by an Economic and Social Research Council Impact Acceleration Award through the University of Bristol (2024/25).