You have heard all the warnings from your parents, relatives and maybe even your friends about the effects of tattoos. However, one side effect that isn't as concrete as the fading, stretching and pain, is how a permanent body stamp can impact your future job prospects.

The face of the young college graduate is changing, becoming increasingly decorated with ink and metal. "Fifty years ago, generally Americans did not have tattoos or any alternative body modification," said Eric Storch, a University of Florida assistant professor of pediatrics and psychiatry. "Times have really quite quickly changed." According to a study published in June in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, about half of people in their 20s have either a tattoo or a body piercing other than traditional earrings. What's even more intriguing is that this figure, which is higher than the national average, is growing according to Anne Laumann, the study's co-author and a dermatologist at Northwestern University.

Just how are these body enhancements affecting the workforce? "In the past, there were very general dress codes. Now, I see dress codes that are five pages long," said David Barron, an attorney with Epstein Becker Green Wickliff & Hall PC. "Employers see a need to be very, very specific, and draw lines very clearly." Here's a perfect recent example. Chief financial officer Woodie Neiss of the medication flavoring company Flavorx – where the average employee is about 28 years old – told human resources to add a body art section to the dress code, after an employee showed up to work with an eyebrow piercing.

So are most businesses viewing tattoos as an eye sore or an art form? Apparently, it all depends on your field. "Creatives," as author and adjunct professor at Columbia University Lee Miller puts it, "don't really have a problem with tattoos." He defines creatives
as those in advertising, fashion design and web design. He explains that "[tattoos] have very little impact on the decision [on who gets hired] because [tattoos] are expected in most industries that employ creatives."

It seems for many creative companies, allowing body art can be a huge advantage, as "it attracts young workers that may not feel welcome in more conservative environments," said Paul Forster, CEO of the job search website Indeed.com. Forster allows body art in the office, and about a quarter of his 25 employees have it. However, if you're planning on going into more of a business or sales field where employees deal mostly with customers face-to-face, "visible tattoos often are a perceived negative. For many older hiring managers [tattoos] can result in a decision to choose another candidate," Lee Miller continues.

Elizabeth Watson, a finance graduate from Arizona State University, exemplifies the attitudes of many students aiming to get tattoos. She says the stigma attached to them is completely irrelevant since a tattoo "has no bearing on my job performance." However, she does think it's common knowledge that having a tattoo could hinder her chances of "getting hired by a top of the line financial firm".

Jennifer Mundt, a doctor who works at Delete, a company in Phoenix that specializes in laser tattoo removal, says about 30 to 40 percent of her client base pays her a visit because their tattoos may hinder their employment search. The bulk of her clients have jobs where they're uncomfortable displaying their ink, so they are willing to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for removal sessions.

Will there ever be a point when bosses don't bat an eye at their employees' body art? "We're probably another 10 years away from that. You have to wait until these guys and girls are managers themselves," Flavorx's Neiss said. "If you're a suit-and-tie kind of place, I don't think it'll ever be appropriate there." In some places though, this shift may already be happening. On an interview at a "quirky" PR firm in Minneapolis, one interviewee said the topic of tattoos turned into a conversation where the interviewer told him about her own tattoos.

In case you're still planning on making a permanent body mark, here's one final piece of advice. "The bottom line is that employers have a right to require their employees to dress in a manner that upholds the professionalism of the company," said Diane Gottsman, owner of corporate etiquette training school The Protocol School of Texas. Therefore, think about presentation and placement if you're planning on getting a tattoo.

You have heard all the warnings from your parents, relatives and maybe even your friends about the effects of tattoos. However, one side effect that isn't as concrete as the fading, stretching and pain, is how a permanent body stamp can impact your future job prospects.

The face of the young college graduate is changing, becoming increasingly decorated with ink and metal. "Fifty years ago, generally Americans did not have tattoos or any alternative body modification," said Eric Storch, a University of Florida assistant professor of pediatrics and psychiatry. "Times have really quite quickly changed." According to a study published in June in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, about half of people in their 20s have either a tattoo or a body piercing other than traditional earrings. What's even more intriguing is that this figure, which is higher than the national average, is growing according to Anne Laumann, the study's co-author and a dermatologist at Northwestern University.

Just how are these body enhancements affecting the workforce? "In the past, there were very general dress codes. Now, I see dress codes that are five pages long," said David Barron, an attorney with Epstein Becker Green Wickliff & Hall PC. "Employers see a need to be very, very specific, and draw lines very clearly." Here's a perfect recent example. Chief financial officer Woodie Neiss of the medication flavoring company Flavorx – where the average employee is about 28 years old – told human resources to add a body art section to the dress code, after an employee showed up to work with an eyebrow piercing.

So are most businesses viewing tattoos as an eye sore or an art form? Apparently, it all depends on your field. "Creatives," as author and adjunct professor at Columbia University Lee Miller puts it, "don't really have a problem with tattoos." He defines creatives
as those in advertising, fashion design and web design. He explains that "[tattoos] have very little impact on the decision [on who gets hired] because [tattoos] are expected in most industries that employ creatives."

It seems for many creative companies, allowing body art can be a huge advantage, as "it attracts young workers that may not feel welcome in more conservative environments," said Paul Forster, CEO of the job search website Indeed.com. Forster allows body art in the office, and about a quarter of his 25 employees have it. However, if you're planning on going into more of a business or sales field where employees deal mostly with customers face-to-face, "visible tattoos often are a perceived negative. For many older hiring managers [tattoos] can result in a decision to choose another candidate," Lee Miller continues.

Elizabeth Watson, a finance graduate from Arizona State University, exemplifies the attitudes of many students aiming to get tattoos. She says the stigma attached to them is completely irrelevant since a tattoo "has no bearing on my job performance." However, she does think it's common knowledge that having a tattoo could hinder her chances of "getting hired by a top of the line financial firm".

Jennifer Mundt, a doctor who works at Delete, a company in Phoenix that specializes in laser tattoo removal, says about 30 to 40 percent of her client base pays her a visit because their tattoos may hinder their employment search. The bulk of her clients have jobs where they're uncomfortable displaying their ink, so they are willing to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for removal sessions.

Will there ever be a point when bosses don't bat an eye at their employees' body art? "We're probably another 10 years away from that. You have to wait until these guys and girls are managers themselves," Flavorx's Neiss said. "If you're a suit-and-tie kind of place, I don't think it'll ever be appropriate there." In some places though, this shift may already be happening. On an interview at a "quirky" PR firm in Minneapolis, one interviewee said the topic of tattoos turned into a conversation where the interviewer told him about her own tattoos.

In case you're still planning on making a permanent body mark, here's one final piece of advice. "The bottom line is that employers have a right to require their employees to dress in a manner that upholds the professionalism of the company," said Diane Gottsman, owner of corporate etiquette training school The Protocol School of Texas. Therefore, think about presentation and placement if you're planning on getting a tattoo.