If you're considering body modification, you can decrease the possibility of complications if you go to a reputable tattoo or piercing studio. Choose an establishment that's clean, tidy and orderly. Also look for and ask about the following:

• An autoclave. An autoclave is a heat sterilization machine regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. It should be used to sterilize all nondisposable equipment after each customer.
• Fresh equipment. Watch the tattoo artist and make sure he or she removes an unused needle and tubes from a sealed package before your procedure begins. Any pigments, trays and containers should be unused, as well. An unused, sterile needle also should be used for piercings.
• Commercial disinfectant or bleach solution. Instruments and supplies that can't be sterilized with an autoclave should be disinfected with a commercial disinfectant or bleach solution after each use. These include pigment bottles, drawer handles, tables and sinks.
• Gloves. The artist or piercer must wash his or her hands and put on a fresh pair of latex gloves for each procedure. And those gloves should touch only you during the procedure. If piercers or tattoo artists open drawers or answer the phone while performing a procedure, they expose you to possible infection.
• No piercing gun. Don't receive a piercing from a piercing gun. These devices typically can't be autoclaved, which may increase your risk of infection. And such guns may crush your skin during the piercing, causing more injury.
• Appropriate hypoallergenic jewelry. Brass and nickel jewelry can cause allergic reactions. Look for surgical-grade steel, titanium, 14- or 18-karat gold, or a metal called niobium.

Any reputable piercer or tattoo parlor should be willing to discuss your health and safety issues. Ask plenty of questions about the qualifications and the cleanliness of the business. If the piercer or artist hesitates to answer your questions, take your business — and your health — elsewhere. Look for someone certified by the Alliance of Professional Tattooists or the Association of Professional Piercers. Both organizations offer safety training to members.

And check with your city or state health department to see if there are complaints against the studio you're thinking about using. Health departments often regulate these businesses.

How you care for your new artwork depends on the type and extent of work done. Your tattoo artist should provide you with instructions on how to care for the body artwork afterward. These directions may require you to remove the dressing applied by the artist after a few hours; clean your tattoo regularly with soap and water, and then pat dry with a towel; and regularly apply a moisturizing product. In addition, avoid sun exposure during the first few weeks after your tattoo.

Tattoos may take up to several days to heal. Don't pick at scabs, which can increase the risk of infection, damage the design and cause scar formation.

Follow-up care for piercings depends on the body part pierced:

• Oral piercings (tongue or lip). Use an antibacterial, alcohol-free mouth rinse for 30 to 60 seconds after meals while your piercing heals.

  Use a new soft-bristled toothbrush after the piercing to avoid introducing bacteria into your mouth.

• Skin piercings (nose, ears, eyebrow, navel). Clean the site with warm water and a cleanser once or twice a day; if you clean it more than that you'll irritate it. Before cleaning, wash your hands with soap and water to reduce the risk of introducing bacteria to the site. Rinse the site in warm water and gently remove any crusting with a cotton swab.

  Then apply a dab of a liquid medicated cleanser — the piercer might recommend an over-the-counter option — to the area. Gently turn the jewelry back and forth to work the cleanser around the opening. Avoid alcohol and peroxide, as they can dry the skin, and avoid antibiotic ointments, which keep oxygen from reaching the piercing and can leave a sticky residue on the area.

If you decide you no longer want your piercing or tattoo, you do have some options for removing them. Piercings often heal over, sometimes quickly, once you remove the jewelry that keeps the hole open. But know that tattoos are meant to be permanent, so complete removal of them is difficult. Several removal techniques exist, but regardless of the method used, scarring and skin color variations are likely to remain. Methods include:

• Laser surgery. This is the most effective way to get rid of a tattoo. Pulses of laser light break up the pigment in the tattoo and your body naturally processes it. You may require as many as 12 treatments over a year to reduce the appearance of the tattoo. The treatment might not be able to completely erase it. Black ink is the easiest to remove, and red and yellow are the most difficult.
• Dermabrasion. The tattoo area is chilled until numb, and then the skin that contains the tattoo is sanded down to deeper levels. This shouldn't be too reduced discomfortful, but it may leave a scar.
• Excision. A doctor can surgically cut out the tattoo and stitch the edges back together, but this also can leave a scar.

A piercing or tattoo may take only a few minutes or a few hours to acquire, but invest plenty of thought and research before getting one. Take steps to protect yourself against possible risks so that what seems like a cool idea now doesn't turn into a source of regret later.