TATTOO AND CANCER: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

With the increasing acceptance of tattooing, it is important to consider the possible health effects tattoos have on your body − especially any increased risks for cancer.

Permanent tattoos are made by using needles to inject coloured inks below the skin’s surface. Inks are less likely than before to contain inorganic salts such as mercury, cadmium, and cobalt. 

Aluminium, oxygen, titanium, and carbon are common ingredients of tattoo inks irrespective of the colour. Known allergenic metals such as chromium, nickel and cobalt have been found to exceed safe allergic limits.

Health risks associated with tattooing include infections, allergies, scarring, granulomas (small knots or bumps that can form around particles of tattoo pigment), and MRI complications such as swelling or burning when people with tattoos undergo an MRI.

Studies have also shown that benzopyrene, a chemical in black tattoo ink, can induce skin cancer in test animals, while other cancer-causing chemicals can damage collagen.

Nanoparticles, also found in tattoo ink may be capable of evading the body’s natural defense more easily. In fact, black tattoo pigments are almost pure nanoparticles, which have been shown to migrate away from the skin, damage collagen, and accumulate in the spleen and kidneys, with possibly harmful effects for health.