Yes, you can donate blood with tattoos, but there's a waiting period depending on where you got the tattoo; in Australia, it's just 7 days if done at a licensed parlour (you can even donate plasma immediately), but 4 months if done at an unlicensed place or overseas, to minimize hepatitis risk. The rules have changed to make it easier for inked individuals, recognizing that many with tattoos are excellent potential donors, but proper hygiene in licensed studios ensures safety.
If you got a tattoo in the last three months, it is completely healed, and was applied by a state-regulated facility, which uses sterile needles and fresh ink—and you meet all blood donor eligibility requirements—you can donate blood! The same rules also apply to ear and body piercings.
Tattoos: You can donate plasma (and show off your new ink!) straight away after a tattoo, as long as it was done in a licensed tattoo parlour in Australia. But, you'll need to wait one week to give blood or platelets, no matter how big or small the tattoo is — that means cosmetic tattoos, too.
You have to wait for four months after having a tattoo before you can give blood. This includes semi-permanent make-up and microblading and the wait is the same for body piercings and acupuncture.
In Australia, you generally cannot donate blood if you're unwell (cold, flu), have certain infections (like HIV, Hepatitis), have had recent tattoos/piercings (wait times apply), have recently travelled to high-risk areas, use certain medications (like anti-clotting drugs), have had specific medical treatments (like melanoma treatment), or have had recent sex with new partners or male partners in certain situations. Age limits also apply (18-60 for new donors, up to 75 for first-timers).
The man who saved 2.4 million babies with his blood is James Harrison, an Australian known as the "Man with the Golden Arm," who donated plasma for over 60 years, providing a rare antibody (Anti-D) that prevents RhD-related miscarriage in mothers, saving millions of unborn children. Harrison's rare blood, a result of his own childhood transfusions, contained Anti-D, crucial for making Anti-D immunoglobulin (Anti-D) medication, which acts like an "invisibility cloak" for babies in the womb, preventing their mothers' immune systems from attacking them. He retired in 2018 at age 81, having made over 1,100 donations, leaving a legacy of countless families, including his own grandchildren, who exist because of his selfless giving.
If I have a tattoo, can I still donate blood? Yes, having a tattoo doesn't automatically disqualify you from donating blood. The key factor is where you got your tattoo. If it was done in a state-regulated facility that adheres to safety standards, you're likely eligible to donate after a certain waiting period.
Golden blood is the rarest kind of blood known in the world. It's also called Rh null blood, and about 43 people have ever been reported to have it. "The name 'golden blood' can sound like this is blood that's somehow more pure or safe for transfusions,” Dr. Otrock shares.
According to iformation from the Red Cross and the Mayo Clinic, one pint of blood “burns” between 600 and 650 calories.
The rarest blood type in Australia, and globally, is Rh-null (Golden Blood), which lacks all Rh antigens and was first discovered in an Aboriginal Australian woman; among common types, AB-negative (AB-) is the rarest, found in about 1% of the population, though specific rare bloods linked to certain ancestries (like Polynesian or Indian) are also exceptionally scarce.
You must be in good health at the time you donate. You cannot donate if you have a cold, flu, sore throat, cold sore, stomach bug or any other infection. If you have recently had a tattoo or body piercing you cannot donate for 6 months from the date of the procedure.
The most needed blood types are O positive (O+) due to its high demand for the most common positive blood type, and O negative (O-) because it's the universal donor for emergencies when a patient's type is unknown, making both vital but often in short supply. Hospitals constantly need all blood types, but O+ is given most often, while O- is critical for trauma and newborns, notes 2, 3, 5, 7 American Red Cross and 1, 3 Australian Red Cross.
We want everyone to stay safe, so if you've just gotten a new tattoo, touched one up, or you've received a new ear or body piercing, we'll ask you to wait four months before donating plasma.
You are eligible to donate three months after getting a tattoo, piercing, microblading, or permanent makeup.
While the Bible doesn't mention Jesus's blood type, scientific analysis of relics linked to him, like the Shroud of Turin and Eucharistic miracle samples, consistently shows Type AB blood, a rare type, leading some to believe it's a miraculous sign, though skeptics point to potential bacterial contamination.
Studies have found that people with Type A or Type AB are at higher risk for gastric cancer. Additionally, if you have Type A, Type B or Type AB blood, you may have a higher risk for pancreatic cancer.
RH Null blood, often referred to as "Golden Blood," is the rarest blood type in the world. It is characterized by the absence of all Rh antigens on the red blood cells. RH Null blood is so rare that fewer than 50 individuals have been identified with it over the past 50 years.
Donating blood if you have tattoos, piercings, permanent make-up & acupuncture. Tattoos/Permanent Make-up/Micro-blading: These are acceptable and the donor is not deferred if the tattoo, permanent make-up or micro-blading was performed in a state-regulated shop, using sterile needles and single-use ink.
If you've had a tattoo or piercing, you'll have to wait for four months before giving blood. This is because some blood-borne viruses, such as Hepatitis B, can be spread by unsterile needles.
They don't just enter your general bloodstream; they travel through your lymphatic system, which is your body's filtration network. These particles are often deposited in your lymph nodes, which is why the lymph nodes near a heavily tattooed area can sometimes be stained with the color of the ink.
Rhnull, the 'Golden Blood Type'
First discovered in 1961 in an Indigenous Australian woman, Rhnull soon earned the nickname "golden blood" not because of its color but because of its immense value in transfusion medicine.
With consistent two-per-week donations in one month, you can potentially earn up to $800, which can go even higher with referral bonuses, special promotions, and loyalty incentives.
O negative is the universal blood type. O negative blood type can only receive O negative blood. O negative donors who are CMV negative are known as Heroes for Babies at the Red Cross because it is the safest blood for transfusions for immune deficient newborns. Learn more about how you can be a Hero for a Baby.
There is no upper age limit for blood donation as long as you are well with no restrictions or limitations to your activities. Those younger than age 17 are almost always legal minors (not yet of the age of majority) who cannot give consent by themselves to donate blood.