Q: Hi, I am having my first tattoo soon, and I just want to know if it is ok to have an operation after I have it?

A: You don't mention what kind of operation you're having, so here's some basic guidelines to keep in mind.

• If you're going to be spending any length of time in a hospital, it's important that your tattoo is fully healed. Despite popular belief that hospitals are "sterile," the air is swirling with scads of bacteria and viruses just looking for an open wound to infect.
• If you'll be having major surgery of any kind, you'll need all of your body's healing ability to be at full capacity. It can't do that if it's working on healing a tattoo. Again, it's best to wait until it's healed.
• Don't get a tattoo near an area where the incision will be made in surgery. The moving and stretching of the skin when it is stitched back together can distort a tattoo in the vicinity.