How an Infected Tattoo Almost Killed a 20-Year-Old Woman

Here's what happens when you go to an unlicensed tattoo artist

Meet Nancy Anderson, a 20-year-old woman based in London. She attempted to book a walk in tattoo with her favorite artist, however, on that day they were fully booked. Instead of waiting to get the tattoo done by a professional, Anderson took her friends advice and visited an unlicensed “artist” in the Southend neighborhood. Anderson arrived for her tattoo appointment at 5pm and according to an interview with Daily Mail, “I felt nervous about going to someone’s house but I thought it would be fine.”

However, quickly into the five hour tattoo session, Anderson realized that this wasn’t like any other tattoo appointment she’d experienced before. “I immediately knew something was wrong, it was really painful- like excruciating,” shared Anderson.

The next day, Anderson woke up without any feeling in her left arm and was immediately rushed to the hospital. Upon arrival, she was told she had a serious infection and was put on six antibiotic drips in order to prevent the infection from reaching her heart. Anderson needed to stay overnight in order to be discharged from the hospital and today, she has a permanent scar she doesn’t think a professional tattoo artist will be able to fix. She’s currently speaking out against getting tattooed by unlicensed artists and regrets her decision to get an unsafe tattoo in the moment.