Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs): Im not at risk, right?
A. Wrong. One out of every four teenagers will get an STD, even though lots of teenagers think they know how to protect themselves. There are other STDs out there besides HIV, and they are on the rise among teens. They include chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, herpes and human papillomavirus (HPV) which causes genital warts and abnormal Pap smears. Q. What doesn’t spread STDs? The real truth about tattoos and body piercing. A. The risk of STDs from tattoos and body piercing should be low because of all of the recommendations for how the instruments used are supposed to be sterilized – or thrown away. If you have them done, be sure that you use an authorized professional. In general, tattoos and body piercing are a low risk for STDs – much lower than things like having unprotected sex.
