The Influence of Tattoos on Health Care Experiences

Background Tattoos are an artistic, visible reflection of an individual's personality and life. According to Goffman and subcultural identity theory, the population with tattoos wants to be different from mainstream society. Method A qualitative descriptive phenomenological research process was used. Results Twelve participants described deep personal identity connections to their large, visible tattoos. They experienced positive reactions (n = 2, 16%), no reaction/acknowledgment (n = 7, 58%), or negative reactions (n = 3, 25%) from health care providers. Conclusion Comments made by health care providers tend to be remembered regardless of the context and can contribute to health and care disparities. Participants who received negative reactions to their tattoos switched providers. Those who received no reactions could have felt insignificant. Ongoing culturally sensitive education is important. Tattoos can start meaningful conversations that allow health care providers to gain valuable insight. [.