Is Tattoo Ink Toxic to Your Body?

They are reported to be highly carcinogenic by environmental protection agencies. Heavy metals, namely, cadmium, lead, mercury, antimony, beryllium, and arsenic are responsible for cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, lungs, kidneys, liver, endocrine, and bone diseases. Tattoos breach the skin, which means that skin infections and other complications are possible, including: Allergic reactions. Tattoo dyes — especially red, green, yellow and blue dyes — can cause allergic skin reactions, such as an itchy rash at the tattoo site. This can occur even years after you get the tattoo.

Some of the substances most commonly found in tattoo ink can cause serious harm. Mercury is a neurotoxin, meaning it can damage the brain and nervous system and lead to physical and psychological disorders. Lead causes organ and tissue damage, and affects the heart, bones, intestines, kidneys, and reproductive system.

Carbon black and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, a soot-like product and a known pollutant, are often the main ingredients in black ink. Exposure to these metals and chemicals can place an extreme burden on the liver and the other organs of elimination.

Tattooing tends to be a painful procedure because tattoo artists use needles to inject ink into the dermis layer of the skin. The injections cause localized swelling and damage to the skin. Once the tattoo procedure is over, the area may be sore for about a week before the swelling goes down.

Another effective way of naturally removing tattoos is by using sand powder and mixing it with aloe vera to create a paste mixture. Take about 1/4 cup of sand powder and aloe vera gel, combine them to create a gooey paste, and apply it multiple times a day over your tattoo until it vanishes.

Tattoo removal is often done as an outpatient procedure with local anesthesia. Common techniques for tattoo removal include laser surgery, surgical removal and dermabrasion.

While upper arms, forearms, thighs, and calves are all great locations, Brodsky says elbow and knee tattooing can be “kind of spicy, but it’s still doable.” Tattoos on the torso hurt worse, she explains, because the skin is softer and lighter.

Like memories and printed photographs, even permanent tattoos fade over time. Tattoo needles deposit ink beneath the epidermis. This is deep enough that the ink won’t be immediately shed with the skin cells of the upper layers, but macrophage cells from your immune system will gradually absorb the ink and disperse it.

Researchers have known that immune system cells are involved in helping the body take up tattoos. The ink doesn’t simply stain skin cells, because these cells die over the years and are replaced.

Tattoos can potentially lead to a number of risks, including skin infections, allergic reactions, and scarring. Such risks may increase if you don’t see a licensed tattoo artist or if the wound itself heals improperly.

They have found that individuals with tattoos report that they feel more attractive, stronger and more self-confident—having overcome the fear of pain. [ii] For some, tattoos seem to go deeper than just underneath the skin, creating a deep personal change, which makes him or her mentally stronger.

Those attracted to women saw a three-way tie between the upper back, shoulder and hips (with a 3.3 rating). The back: a top-rated tattoo location for women and men. The hip: a top-rated tattoo location for women. The upper arm: a top-rated tattoo location for men.

Featured Photo by benjamin lehman on Unsplash