"It's mainly poorly executed, like incorrect needle depth."
Ms Kerr said many home tattooists were legitimate artists but people needed to be careful about who they chose.
She said people should research before booking in to get inked.
"Ask about their sterilisation processes: do they have an auto-clave and an ultra-sonic cleaner?"
Ink enthusiasts hoping to save a buck cost the public thousands each year in claims for botched tattoos.
In all, ACC received 304 claims relating to tattoos across the country in 2013 at a cost of almost $46,000.
The most common injuries were lacerations, punctures or stings and most people listed "home" as the accident scene on their claim form.
The amount claimed by an individual varied depending on the severity of their injury, said ACC media adviser Suzanne Muth. "It depends on how much medical treatment they need to receive.
"If one person had a really bad reaction it could mean a lot of trips to the doctor for check-ups," she said.
Ms Muth said people could not use ACC to have an unsightly tattoo covered.
"The claim has to be for an injury." People in need of tattoo removal to re-enter the work force could claim up to $1500 a year through the Work and Income Transition to Work scheme.
Tatt removal costs taxpayer $4500
Gangster John Gillies had a "Mongrel Mob Forever" tattoo and bulldog removed from his face at a cost of $4500 to the taxpayer.
It took 15 laser sessions to fade the ink over 2 years while he was in prison.
One of New Zealand's most dangerous criminals, he was convicted of assaulting two police officers and supplying Class A drugs in 2004.
He had barely been out of jail a year, after serving 10 years of a 12-year sentence for stabbing former Gisborne police Sergeant Nigel Hendrikse with a screwdriver in 1993.
Corrections introduced the taxpayer-funded tattoo-removal programme in 2000, before terminating it six years later amid a public outcry.
A new service initiated last year meant inmates at two New Zealand prisons were still able to have tattoos removed in house - as long as they paid for them.
A South Auckland-based clinic visited Auckland Prison and Auckland Region Women's Corrections Facility, offering to fade visible tattoos on faces, necks and lower arms, at a cost of $30 a session.
Some prisoners had requested removal, to help increase job prospects and reintegration into society.
