Blood donation and tattoos?

If you've recently had a tattoo and you donate blood anyway would the Red Cross or whoever is running the blood drive be able to tell by doing a test on your blood if you've recently had a tattoo?

One of my friends got on a few days ago and plans to donate blood next week. He said theres no way they can tell and it only matters because theres an incubation period for diseases like hepatitis you could get from a dirty needle. But he had the guy put in a new needle right in front of him.

The rules are in place for reason. Your friend may not get caught, but shouldn't break the rules just because he assumes he is ok. He has no right to put the general population at risk because he believes he is fine.

No, there's no way to tell. But I agree with the poster above. How can you really trust how clean the needle was? The rules are there for a reason. Is he really so eager to donate that he needs to break them?

you can still donate (i do all the time) but only if you had a licensed professional do the tattoo with sterile equipment.

Tattoo
Wait 12 months after a tattoo if the tattoo was applied in a state that does not regulate tattoo facilities. This requirement is related to concerns about hepatitis. Learn more about hepatitis and blood donation.

Acceptable if the tattoo was applied by a state-regulated entity using sterile needles and ink that is not reused. Only a few states currently regulate tattoo facilities, so most donors with tattoos must wait 12 months after tattoo application before donating blood. You should discuss your particular situation with the health historian at the time of donation.

You have to answer questions before the donation. A tattoo is one of the questions. I don't care if you have a friend with the cleanest equipment. You still must wait. A tattoo is a tattoo, no matter who did it. The collection site that takes a donation from someone who recently got a tattoo is right up there with the hospital in Vegas.

If your friend hides his tattoo to donate blood, and lies about not having one, he is defeating the reason for donating blood in the first place. We donate blood to help other people. Even if if the place he received the tattoo from is licensed, there is a small chance he could get something and the pass it on to someone else, which would harm them. There is the one year waiting period in place for a reason.