For some, it’s as simple as the clothing they wear or the way they choose to style their hair. For others, it goes a step further, including little things like customized cell phone cases, monogrammed neckties, or bumper stickers on their cars. However, for a growing number of young people, the canvas of choice is literally the skin they were born with.
Recent surveys show that upwards of 40% of American 20-somethings have at least one tattoo. Many have quite a few more. New research indicates that these self-identifiers might come at a high cost beyond the initial pain and financial investment.
Are The Ingredients in Tattoo Ink Safe?
A series of investigative studies spearheaded by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suggest that many of the inks commonly used in tattoos may have a serious long-term impact on human health. Questionable pigment sources of particular interest to FDA researchers include various dangerous heavy metals, phthalates, and hydrocarbons—all known to be carcinogenic. Much of the concern about the connection between modern tattoo inks and cancer has centered on a few documented cases where malignant melanoma and skin tumors were observed in tattooed skin.
However, the findings from these recent investigations have so far proven inconclusive at best. Tina Alster, a Cosmetic Dermatologist & Laser Surgeon, told NPR, “There are some chemicals that have been shown to be injected along with the tattoo inks to make them brighter or even psychedelic. There are some that actually glow in black light… nobody knows for sure what’s really in them. There are some, like cadmium, that are carcinogenic. Others cause granulomas, which is an allergic reaction in the skin.”
Additionally, a 2010 study from the University of Regensburg in Germany found that some black tattoo inks are made from soot. These black inks commonly contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which may include benzo(a)pyrene, a Group 1 carcinogen according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer. The EPA also classifies it among “the most potent and well-documented skin carcinogens.” Researchers from the Department of Dermatology at the University of Regensburg stated, “Tattooing with black inks entails an injection of substantial amounts of phenol and PAHs into the skin. Most of these PAHs are carcinogenic and may additionally generate deleterious singlet oxygen inside the dermis when skin is exposed to UVA (e.g., solar radiation).”
California and a few other states currently require that tattoo shop patrons sign a waiver informing them of their exposure to potentially hazardous chemicals before getting inked. This seems to do very little to dissuade customers.
Health Risks of Tattoos
Tattoos have always come with a certain amount of risk. Arguably, this air of danger may contribute to part of the appeal. The oldest known tattoos date back to at least the Neolithic era, roughly 5,000 years B.C., and are believed by many experts to have been created by rubbing ash into accidentally or intentionally created wounds. The word “tattoo” is taken from the Samoan word “Tatau,” originally used to describe a slow, reportedly very painful variation of the process that relied on barbed sticks to embed pigment under the skin. Severe infections, and even death, were not uncommon.
Despite the added safety and reduced pain offered by modern tattoo machines, the threat of exposure to tetanus, hepatitis, syphilis, and HIV remains very real in some places. And these are just the most serious risks of tattooing. You also have to factor in the risk of infections, allergies, scarring, granulomas, and future MRI complications.
In most cases, these risks can be avoided simply by choosing a reputable, well-kept tattoo parlor staffed by a quality artist. This is just common sense. Think before you ink!
