How Long After Piercing Can You Donate Blood

Have you always assumed you can’t donate blood? You’re not alone. There are a lot of people who may think they cannot donate, but actually can. Here are a few of the most common myths around blood donation restrictions and the facts you need to know.

Fact: You can donate blood if you have tattoos and/or body piercings. If you recently had a tattoo and it was applied in a state-regulated/licensed tattoo facility using sterile needles and the ink was not reused, you may not have to wait to give blood. Those who are certain a sterile needle was used for a body piercing also may not need to wait. Otherwise, you must wait one year after receiving a tattoo or body piercing.

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Fact: In almost all cases, medications won’t disqualify you as a blood donor. Instead, your eligibility is based on the reason the medication was prescribed. As long as the condition is under control and you are healthy, blood donation is usually permitted. If you are unsure, visit our eligibility page at RedCrossBlood.org..

Common Blood Donation Myths

Fact: It depends on the type of cancer and your treatment history. Those who have had leukemia or lymphoma, including Hodgkin’s disease and other cancers of the blood are not eligible. With most other types of cancers, you are able to donate blood if it the cancer has been treated successfully and it has been more than 12 months since treatment. Cleveland city councilman Kevin Conwell is once again a regular donor, after winning a battle with cancer. Read his story here.

Fact: You must be 17 years old or 16 years old with parental/guardian consent to donate blood, if allowed by state law. There is no age limit for older adults as long as you are healthy and meet the other criteria.

Fact: While there are some travel restrictions in place, they are very specific to the location and time period that the individual spent there. If you have questions about eligibility, you can call 866-236-3276 to speak with an eligibility specialist about your travel.

Weed And Donating Blood: All You Need To Know

For more facts around the blood donation process, visit the American Red Cross FAQ page. Ready to donate? Visit our website to find an upcoming drive near you.

If you are someone who is unable to donate blood, there are other ways you can support the cause! The Northern Ohio Region of Red Cross relies on volunteers to help with essential tasks like registration to make sure blood drives run smoothly. To learn more about volunteer opportunities in Northern Ohio, click here.Are you a one-of-a-kind person that values self-expression and selflessness? Do you want to donate blood but don’t know if your tattoos or piercings disqualify you? You may be surprised to learn that, in most cases, you are still eligible to donate. Keep reading below for all the important details!

Why

In most states, a tattoo is acceptable if the tattoo was applied by a state-regulated entity using sterile needles and ink that is not reused. The same goes for cosmetic tattoos (including microblading of eyebrows only): if they were applied in a licensed establishment in a regulated state using sterile needles and ink that is not reused, then they are acceptable. 

Requirements For Donating Blood

If you received a tattoo in a state that does not regulate tattoo facilities, then you must wait three months after it was applied. Currently, the only states that DO NOT regulate tattoo facilities are District of Columbia, Georgia, Idaho, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Utah and Wyoming.

Similarly, piercings are acceptable if the instruments used were single-use equipment and disposable (meaning both the gun and the earring cassette were disposable). You must wait three months if a piercing was performed using a reusable gun or any reusable instrument. It’s also required that you wait three months if there is any question whether the instruments used were single-use equipment.

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These wait-time requirements for both tattoos and piercings are related to concerns about hepatitis which can easily be transmitted from donors to patients through transfusion. All blood donations are tested for hepatitis B and hepatitis C with several different tests. But because these tests are not perfect, it is still important for people who may be infected with hepatitis viruses to not donate blood. You can learn more about hepatitis and blood donation here.

How Long Does An Ear Piercing Take To Heal? Expert Tips For Aftercare

American Red Cross donors wear their hearts on their sleeves and know just how important donating is. Now you know you can still donate blood even if that sleeve is covered in tattoos!Donating blood is noble practice. Your donated blood can improve someone’s health condition or even save their life. Blood donation is a great way of extending help to a fellow human being. However, there are certain myths that make people believe they are not eligible for donating blood. The most popular one is you cannot donate blood if you have a tattoo. That myth is just a myth.

People from all walks of life get a tattoo and the fad of getting one is not going to end anytime soon. So does that mean these people cannot donate blood ever again? No, that is not true. Getting a tattoo does not automatically put a permanent ban on blood donation.

Eligibility

An individual who donates blood willingly and freely, after he/she has been declared fit post a medical examination for donating blood, without accepting in return any consideration in cash or kind from any source, is considered a donor. This however, does not include a professional or a paid donor.

Donating Blood: You Can Save A Life

When you look at the eligibility criteria for a blood donor, there is no source which says that if you have a tattoo you cannot donate. The general qualifications of a blood donor are:

That said, there is a limitation for short period for people with tattoos who wish to donate blood. If you have recently gotten a tattoo, you are required to delay donating blood for at least 6 months. In between this period, you will not be eligible for blood donation. This is a precaution against cross-contamination &blood-borne diseases like hepatitis, HIVetc and blood banks advise letting the design heal by waiting 6-12 months.

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Blood-borneillness such as hepatitisis transferred through the blood stream.There’sa risk of transferring it betweenpeople thataretattooed withcontaminatedinstrumentation.Since tattooing involves piercing the skin with a needle, there’sinvariablysome bloodconcerned. The reason you’re waitingon the brink ofa year isn’tfor a result thatyou will be cleared for donation; it is for the result indicating if you have the disease or not to show up in blood tests.

Reasons You Might Not Be Able To Donate Blood

Ifobtainingyour tattoo infected you with hepatitis, you won’t be a candidate for blood donation.If you are cleared not to have hepatitis or on an off chance HIV, then you can go ahead and donate blood and become the superhero in someone’s life.