Tattoos: harmful in application and removal

Tattoos are permanent body art, and can take the form of all sorts of patterns and colors with often striking results. Recently, tattoo art has become increasingly more complex, covering larger areas of the skin to enhance the design and story of the tattoo.

But are we sure that skin is the ideal palette and that colours are harmless?

While doctors and dermatologists may appreciate the talent and beauty behind many tattoos, they usually advise against them. In the past, this was due to concerns over the hygiene of tattoo parlors or the professionalism of the tattoo artist; however nowadays these elements are strictly regulated by law. The real, little known health problem linked to tattoos is the toxicity of the pigments used.

Here are some data to reflect on

Consider that, for a tattoo to look good, the skin needs to be ‘loaded’ with a large amount of pigment. Of this injected pigment, only 20%-30% remains within the cells of the dermis (the macrophages) to form the tattoo’s design. The remaining pigment is absorbed by the lymphatic circulation to the lymph nodes and, from there, arrives in other unknown locations across the body. As humans do not have enzymes capable of metabolizing tattoo pigments (otherwise the tattoo itself would disappear), the pigment remains trapped in the body forever.

Why are modern pigments particularly worrying?

What worries doctors most is the lack of regulation around pigments. Tattoo pigment is composed of non-metabolizable material, and is therefore permanent. Pigments usually contain mineral oxides, but not all oxides are suitable, as some are allergenic while others are toxic. With facts such as these, it is particularly perplexing that the pigments used for tattooing do not need any certification to show their purity, sterility, or biocompatibility. In addition, to make tattoos more attractive and colorful, modern pigments are often mixed with synthetic fibers such as nylon and teflon, both of which are used in car paints and are well-known carcinogens. Again, there is no requirement for companies producing pigments to declare the composition of the color on any label. This lack of information prevents toxicology studies that measure the composition and traceability of components. Before deciding on whether to get a tattoo, it is important that individuals are aware that none of the ingredients that will be injected into their skin have been approved for human use.

What about tattoo pigments that are advertised as vegetable-based or non toxic?

Adverts for tattoo pigments that claim they are vegetable-based or non-toxic should be taken with a pinch of salt. These claims are all self-certified by the companies themselves, as there are no official tests that can confirm or deny them. While the tattoo artist may believe in good faith that they are using pigments that are safer, there is no way to verify this.

Laser tattoo removal

Laser treatment removes a tattoo completely. The laser beam penetrates the skin, hitting the pigment particles stuck in the cells of the dermis and shatters them into much smaller molecules. The particles are now simply too small to be seen, causing the tattoo to disappear.

A more serious risk

However, this process is not without risk. The particles shattered by the laser are nanomaterials which, along with fine dust, are then dispersed inside of the skin following treatment. Both nanomaterials and dust have recently been branded as carcinogens, with a recent German study showing that the lymph nodes near the tattoo fill with pigment ‘dust’ and swell following laser removal. This dust will gradually move from the lymph nodes into the circulation and will deposit in unknown areas of the body, with untold potential damage.
Tattoos are dangerous in themselves, but their removal is even riskier.