There’s an old cliché, Good tattoos ain’t cheap, and cheap tattoos ain’t good. You’d think that an expression so popular would reach the collective ink-lovin consciousness leaving no room for sites like Badtattoos.com. But, alas, many still pay more for trendy shoes than lifetime tattoos, and so the other cliché—you get what you pay for—rings truest for body art.

Cheap tattoos are an easy lure for those under 18 and even university students with little cash flow. Tattooers who can’t compete artistically with others tend to market themselves to this demographic for a quick buck. These Skin Shadies go beyond the unethical and into the dangerous, and they make tattoo headlines.

The shadiest of them all this past week is the owner of an Oklahoma tattoo shop who allegedly tattooed a 16-year-old on the neck—a Kanji no less—then pierced her tongue and, as an added bonus, sewed her lips shut and took a picture. Once her lips were set free, the girl told her mother, who then filed charges. Tattooing and piercing a minor without parental consent is a misdemeanor that carries a penalty of up to 60 days in jail and $150 fine on each count if convicted. With Oklahoma overturning its tattoo ban and legalizing the art just this past November, news like this really aids the tattoo community in establishing legitimacy in the state [gratuitous blogger irony].

In Arkansas, another guy with a tattoo machine faces misdemeanor charges for tattooing over a hundred students and leaving some sick with more than just bad art. The 19-year-old Arkansas State University student used his dorm room as a make-shift tattoo parlor. No sterilization or disinfectants were found, which would explain why some of his “clients” needed medical attention. You'd think the risk of bacterial infections and even Hep C would be enough to scare students into saving up for a professional tattoo; however, this goes to show that even in the bastions of higher education, there are still plenty of idiots.

And it ain't limited to American idiots.

Two weeks ago I wrote about a New Zealand traditional tattooer who transmitted a deadly flesh eating virus to two clients, one who fought for his life for two months, and infected two others with less dangerous bacteria. He was suspended from tattooing while an investigation took place. Now the family of the man who almost died is shocked to learn that the department of labor will likely lift that suspension. The Dominion Post reports:

Ok, it's a rare and drastic case but I'm using it to demonstrate that despite the popularity and increasing artistry of tattooing, it still has it's risks.

I've said it before and I'll say it again—I'm preachy like that—do your homework, find the best person for the work you want, and save your cash for a great artist. There's no rush. The cost of the tattoo may be high but a real work of art on your body forever is priceless.

Marisa_DiMattia is a lawyer and editor of Needled.com, a blog on tattoo art and culture.