What's in a tattoo?
Without
full disclosure of ingredients, it is impossible to know for sure what is in
tattoo ink. Added to this, each color and each brand of ink has completely
different ingredients, according to a 2005 study out of Northern Arizona University.7
The
carrier solution itself might contain harmful substances such as denatured alcohols, methanol, rubbing alcohol, antifreeze,
detergents, or formaldehyde and other highly toxic aldehydes.
The
oldest pigments came from using ground up minerals and carbon black. According
to wikipedia.org,
a wide range of dyes and pigments are now used in tattoos "from inorganic
materials like titanium dioxide and iron oxides to carbon black, azo dyes, and
acridine, quinoline, phthalocyanine
and naphthol derivative, dyes made from
ash, and other mixtures.”
The price of ignorance.
Although allergic reactions to permanent tattoos are
considered rare given the number of tattoos applied yearly in the neighborhood
of 5 million they can occur, along with scarring, phototoxic reactions (i.e.
reactions from exposure to light, especially sunlight), and other adverse effects.
Many people have reported reactions to the intensely colored plastic-based
pigments. There are also pigments that glow in the dark or in response to black
(ultraviolet) light. Some of these pigments may be safe, but others are toxic
and even possibly radioactive.
Plastic-based inks (e.g. glow-in-the-dark ink) have led to polymerization
under the skin, where the tattoo pigment particles converged into one solid
piece under the skin.
Allergic
reactions have occurred with some of the many metals put into tattoo inks, nickel being one of the most common
metal allergies. Others have reacted to the mercury in red cinnabar, to cobalt
blue, and to cadmium sulfite when used as a yellow pigment. Some inks were
found to have high levels of lead, some contained lithium, and the blue inks
were full of copper. Allergic reactions may occur infrequently with permanent tattoos,
but the long-term health effects are still unknown due to the lack of
regulation, testing, and long-term studies.
In
contrast to the low incidence of reported allergic reactions to permanent tattoos,
however, certain temporary Henna tattoos
have been very problematic. Henna tattoos that contain the dark brown dye para-phenylenediamine (PPD) can cause a
delayed allergic reaction and subsequent PPD hyper-sensitization that may
permanently prohibit one from using sulfa drugs, PABA sunscreens, benzocaine
and other anesthetics, and hair dyes. Fragrance sensitization may occur, and in
some cases, their action will include skin necrosis, scarring, and
hypo-pigmentation. Analysis of henna dye used on persons who reported allergic
reactions has shown the presence of toxic chemicals from hair and textile dyes,
in addition to PPD.
TOXICITY
The question of toxicity is multifaceted; there are others
factors that may exponentially increase the serious health risks associated
with tattooing.When alcohol is used as part of the carrier base in tattoo ink
or to disinfect the skin before application of the tattoo, it increases the
skin's permeability, helping to transport more chemicals into the bloodstream.
Alcohol also works synergistically with mutagens,
teratogens, and carcinogens to make them even more harmful, increasing the chance
that they may cause mutation or disease, both at the site of the tattoo and
systemically.
Other health risks.
In addition to allergic reactions and the unknown long-term
health effects from the metal salts and carrier solutions that make up tattoo
inks, there are other health risks involved. Skin infections, psoriasis, dermatitis and other chronic skin conditions, and tumors (both
benign, and malignant) have all been associated with tattoos. Due to the use of
needles in tattoo application, there is also the risk of contracting infectious
diseases such as tetanus, herpes simplex virus, staph, HIV, AIDS, HepatitisB and C, and even Syphilis. And those with tattoos might
not be able to get a life-saving MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) test if they
need one as some hospitals and testing locations will refuse to do an MRI on
people with body tattoos due to the metal particles in the tattoo, which may
cause a burning pain during the test.
Thinking of removing your tattoo?
If you
plan on having your tattoo removed, you should be aware that some of the
pigments used (especially Yellow #7) are phototoxic and may breakdown into
toxic chemicals in the body when removed with UV light or laser which is a
common techniques used in tattoo removal.
The toxic end-products eventually wind up in
the kidneys and liver, adding to your total body burden.
Think for yourself.
In an
ideal world, the 'trade secrets'
clause that allows companies to put profit over public health would be
disallowed for all products used topically, transversely, or ingested into our
bodies. However, in the absence of federal regulation to protect the consumer
from unqualified tattoo artists, unhygienic tools and application methods, and
highly toxic inks, the best advice for the youth of today is abstinence from tattoos. At the very
least, one should find out if their state has any regulations on tattoo inks
and always ask to see the Material Safety Data Sheet(MSDS) for any pigment or
carrier used to see basic health and safety information for the ingredients involved.
Skin tests should be performed prior to tattoo application to see if you are
allergic to any of the ingredients. Although certain tattoo ink ingredients may
be plant-based or otherwise considered safe and non-toxic, the truth is that no
long-term studies have been performed confirming that they are safe to inject
as a permanent cosmetic. Bottom line:
don't trust the government, tattoo ink manufacturers, or tattoo artists to give
you accurate and complete information on the toxicity of the pigments and dyes
being used at least not just yet.
To be continued..........
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