| Is a Tattoo Right for You? As a doctor, it’s my duty to accept the choices you make and help you live with those choices. Should you have a new tattoo, I’m likely to express a positive thought about your newest body art. However, should you ask, I would likely offer advice you might not expect. Perhaps a tattoo is right for you and then again perhaps not. A lot depends on ‘the how’, ‘the when’, and what’s likely to happen in the end. No doubt you have noticed the tattoo fad? Tattoos seem more common than ever among those in their 20s and 30s. Like many fads, tattooing comes with health consequences that aren’t immediately obvious. The potential risk should not be taken lightly. The fundamental problem is that tattooing requires the placement of pigment granules in the skin. For most, these particles are tolerated – at least initially. Unfortunately, our immune system changes as we age and years later these particles may be viewed by our body as foreign invaders. Beyond the uncertainty of a tattoo’ s long term potential for creating infections, tumors, or auto immune issues is the need to find a reputable service that practices necessary safety precautions and aftercare. If in later years, the body decides the tattoo has to go, the tattoo ink may be transported to lymph nodes. The evidence of this can appear as discoloration of lymph nodes as they collect ink from the tattoo they are attempting to remove. In some cases the body’s decision to attack the tattoo may not happen for decades. If the body does attacks the tattoo, the result can lead to infections, tumors, various autoimmune disease, lymphoma, etc. A safety concern more recently discovered is related to the size of particles used in the tattoo ink. While many inks have been used for decades with few problems the range of products in use has grown with few long term studies to evaluate their health effects. For example, a reformulation of a long used ink into nano sized particles changes the chemistry and the possible long term effects. Without adequate studies, it’s anyone guess what negative effects lay in store decades away. Any procedure that breaches the skin and introduces a foreign particle can create health complications. For tattoos, the possibilities include: • Allergic reactions. • Skin infections • Granulomas (bumps around tattoo ink) • Keloids (raised areas caused by an overgrowth of scar tissue) • Bloodborne diseases (tetanus, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, etc.) • MRI complications (tattoo pigments can interfere with the quality of images) • Diminished ability to sweat and skin’s ability to cool How pleased you will be with a tattoo in future years is problematic. You will change, your views of life will change, the people around you will change (think employers), fashions will change. Aside from the unpredictability effects of change, here are more factors to consider before getting a tattoo. • Weight gain or loss (including pregnancy) may distort the tattoo. • From surveys, we know that few still want their tattoo a decade later • Tattoos affect first impressions (friends, employment, etc.) • Tattoo removal can be expensive and painful. The reputation of the tattoo artist is important but hardly an assurance of long term positive results. Comparing reviews of tattoo artists might tell you about their artistic skills but likely have no relevance to how your long-term health needs will be met. Try finding a review by someone that had a tattoo twenty years ago. Most likely you will not find reviews from even three years ago. If you did find recent reviews about tattoos obtained ten years ago, they would most likely be about best ways to remove the old tattoos. If contemplating a tattoo, think carefully before committing. If unsure, give plenty of thought to the long term consequences. Far too many get their tattoo as a result of group pressure. With young adults, the first tattoo often happens in an outing with friends in a risk taking mood. Hopefully, knowing the potential negative consequences can be an advantage when social pressure builds. Should you decide to have a tattoo despite the unknown future consequences then carefully evaluate the tattoo artist’s practices. Here are a few questions to ask. • Is the business listed with the Better Business Bureau or the Chamber of Commerce? • Has the tattoo artist met all local and state regulatory requirements? • Does the tattoo artist wash his hands and wear a fresh pair of protective gloves? • Prior to procedure, are needles, pigments and tubes in factory fresh sealed packages? • Is non disposable equipment sterilized in an autoclave? • Are instruments and supplies that can't be sterilized with an autoclave chemically disinfected? • What aftercare is provided to avoid infections and deal with unwanted outcomes? The adage, stop and think before you ink, is wisdom. Learn more at Complications of Tattoos and Tattoo Removal - Stop and Think Before you ink Nancy Neighbors, MD Huntsville, Alabama Tattoo Facts • The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) does not approve or regulate the ink used in tattoos. • More women than men in the US have tattoos. • The most popular tattoo images are angels and hearts. • Tattoos are etched in the second layer of the skin. • Women are more likely to get their tattoos removed. 40% of U.S. adults ages 26–40 have at least one tattoo. • Due to an outbreak of hepatitis B, it was illegal to get a tattoo in New York from 1961 to 1997. •The word tattoo is derived from “tattau”, a Tahitian word which means “to mark.” |