Peggy Peck

Hepatitis C, a silent but sometimes deadly virus, infects an estimated four million Americans. Former Centers for Disease Control researcher Robert Haley, MD, believes that tattooing is a major, but oftenoverlooked, cause of Hepatitis C infection. Ironically, Haley points out, the risk of infection is greater at commercial tattoo parlors than with either do—ityourself tattoos or prison tattoos. In the following excerpt, award—winning medical writer Peggy Peck, a regular contributor to WebMD Medical News, considers the links between tattooing and Hepatitis C.

BETH BLACKMARR, 38, IS AN INSURANCE EXECUtive in Cleveland, Ohio. In a business suit, briefcase in hand, she is all button—down, no—nonsense professional. But under the suit she carries five permanent reminders of her life as a teenager in LaGrange, Kentucky-five tattoos.

Blackmarr tells WebMD...