Can you donate blood while having a tattoo

Yes, but if it was recent you may need to wait for a bit. It depends what you got, where and when.

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Health
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
More information on eligibility to donate

Tattoos: You can donate plasma (and show off your new ink!) straight away after a tattoo, as long as it was done in a licensed tattoo parlour in Australia. But, you’ll need to wait four months to give blood or platelets, no matter how big or small the tattoo is — that means cosmetic tattoos, too.
Ear piercing: You can only donate plasma for the first 24 hours after having it done. After that, you can donate blood or platelets too.
Body piercing: You can only donate plasma for the next 4 months after having it done. After that, you’re good to give blood or platelets.

Whether it’s your ear or anywhere else, the piercing should be done with clean, single-use equipment. If it wasn’t or you aren’t sure, you’ll need to wait at least four months before you can donate anything.

So, how about it? Book your donation in now.

Most people can give blood if they are in good health. There are some basic requirements one need to fulfill in order to become a blood donor. Below are some basic eligibility guidelines:

Age

You are aged between 18 and 65.

In some countries national legislation permits 16–17 year-olds to donate provided that they fulfil the physical and hematological criteria required and that appropriate consent is obtained.
In some countries, regular donors over the age of 65 may be accepted at the discretion of the responsible physician. The upper age limit in some countries are 60.

Weight

You weigh at least 50 kg.

In some countries, donors of whole blood donations should weigh at least 45 kg to donate 350 ml ± 10%.

Health

You must be in good health at the time you donate.

You cannot donate if you have a cold, flu, sore throat, cold sore, stomach bug or any other infection.

If you have recently had a tattoo or body piercing you cannot donate for 6 months from the date of the procedure. If the body piercing was performed by a registered health professional and any inflammation has settled completely, you can donate blood after 12 hours.

If you have visited the dentist for a minor procedure you must wait 24 hours before donating; for major work wait a month.

You must not donate blood If you do not meet the minimum haemoglobin level for blood donation:

A test will be administered at the donation site. In many countries, a haemoglobin level of not less than 12.0 g/dl for females and not less than 13.0 g/dl for males as the threshold.

Travel

Travel to areas where mosquito-borne infections are endemic, e.g. malaria, dengue and Zika virus infections, may result in a temporary deferral.

Many countries also implemented the policy to defer blood donors with a history of travel or residence for defined cumulative exposure periods in specified countries or areas, as a measure to reduce the risk of transmitting variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) by blood transfusion.

Behaviours

You must not give blood:

If you engaged in “at risk” sexual activity in the past 12 months
Individuals with behaviours below will be deferred permanently:
Have ever had a positive test for HIV (AIDS virus)
Have ever injected recreational drugs.

In the national blood donor selection guidelines, there are more behavior eligibility criteria. Criteria could be different in different countries.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding

Following pregnancy, the deferral period should last as many months as the duration of the pregnancy.

It is not advisable to donate blood while breast-feeding. Following childbirth, the deferral period is at least 9 months (as for pregnancy) and until 3 months after your baby is significantly weaned (i.e. getting most of his/her nutrition from solids or bottle feeding).

More information on eligibility to donate

National eligibility guidelines must be followed when people donate blood in the blood service in specific countries. To find out whether any health conditions, medications, professions or travel history to could affect your ability to give blood, please search for detailed information in the national/local blood services.

Carolina didn’t let her tattoo stop her from making a selfless decision to become a blood donor.

Tattoos are more than skin deep.

Some have undeniable significance.

Some are spontaneous, but no less meaningful.

But one misconception about tattoos ─ that people with tattoos are ineligible to donate blood ─ has prevented some from getting inked or giving back. It's a common myth that having tattoos makes you ineligible to donate blood. This was true in the past, but it isn't a barrier today. Fact is, even if you're inked, you have the power to build a healthier world and save lives.

She Stands Out

Carolina Holler, a 28-year-old from San Paulo, Brazil, is no stranger to tattoos. She was 18 when she donated blood for the first time and 20 when she got her first tattoo. That tattoo would be the first of many.

Carolina's tattoos aren't a barrier that keep her from donating blood. She made the decision to give back, to show everyone you can have tattoos and be a regular blood donor.

Having a fascination with the human body at a young age, her passion for healthcare, blood donation awareness and body art would become a defining characteristic of her adulthood.

"I have 10 tattoos. And that hasn't stopped me from donating blood. You can plan your tattoos around blood donation," she said.

Tattoo, not taboo

Over the past few decades, tattoos have become less taboo. A Harris Poll found that nearly half of all millennials have tattoos. Among people who have tattoos, seven in 10 don't stop there, ending up with a tattwo and a tatthree.

Now, more than half the nation includes people who are Millennials, Gen Z and younger. That means there’s a likelihood a young donor who steps up to fight against current blood shortages will have a tattoo. Or maybe even a few.

Most people with tattoos can donate blood as long as they don’t have risk factors that prohibit or limit blood donation, and if they got a tattoo at a state regulated facility. In the U.S. you have to wait 3 months to donate if the tattoo was from a state that does not regulate tattoo facilities.

Make Your Mark

Every 2 seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood, and your donations have the power to change lives, regardless of your tattoos.

Don't let your ink stop you from donating blood.

You don't have to compromise your individuality, style, sense of adventure or your love of body art to become a regular donor. Tattoos are a permanent statement of who you are, what (or who) you love and what’s important to you.

So is becoming a donor.

You can leave your mark on the world by donating ─ a permanent sign of your selflessness and the difference you've made in changing lives.

Carolina inspires those around her to donate, especially loved ones her age. She's a reminder that it’s on us (ahem, millennials and Gen Z) to step up and give back.

"Even if you're not able to donate, you can go with a friend who's donating and be a support system for them. Make it social," she said.

Generosity is more than skin deep. Just like your tattoos.

Learn more about blood donation FAQs and find a blood donation center near you.

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