Body art: More normal than novel.

• Position: TRENDS - Brief article

Nearly 40 percent of people born after 1980 have a tattoo, and 25 percent have a piercing somewhere other th an the earlobe, according to the Pew Research Center. But there's more to the story now than just tattoos and pierced navels. The broader "body art" category also includes branding, scarification (scratching, etching or cutting to produce a design in the skin) and subdermal implants (placing objects under the skin for ornamentation).

The growing popularity of body art has lawmakers working hard to keep up. Nearly every state has some type of body art law, but they vary widely.

At least 45 states have laws prohibiting minors from getting tattoos. Thirty-eight states have laws prohibiting both body piercing and tattooing on minors without parental permission. Tattoo facilities are unregulated in several states, including Idaho, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Utah and Wyoming.

Health officials worry...