Tattoo risk? (Alternative inks, possible toxins/dangers, etc)

[rickert]

What are the health risks, if any of tattooing oneself?

How would one avoid this?

Obviously, not getting tattooed is an option, but I was wondering specifically about the dangers posed by the inks and how they interact with your system, as well as the alternatives, such as charcoal/other non toxic inks.

 

[Mac Rilla]

I can't speak to the issues with inks, but you can develop problems in terms of adhesions at the skin level. I.E. the tattoos become "sticky" compared to normal "healthy" skin and can turn into a mobility problem at that level. It's not the end of the world as you can just move the skin around once they're fully healed but it's good to know. I have several and I just mobilize them regularly by moving the skin around. As a side note I've found applying DeFibron to the tattoos (only after being fully healed) seems to help with the mobility issue.

 

[ww3not4me]

My wife has one entire side of her body inked and no issues.

I have one tattoo and no issues.

I have all kinds of allergies wife has none and neither of us have had any issues.

The most common reactions are allergic reactions to the ink used and infections.

 

[Ritchie]

Basically what ever is in the tattoo ink is broken down and absorbed into your system (blood stream etc) over time. Then I guess your body has to expel it. Tattoo ink is normally full of a whole host of things you don't want inside you (plastic pigments, metals oxides, etc) - "The inks have been found to contain hazardous chemicals, including carcinogens. The report, from the European Commission's Joint Research Centre, also identified heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, and nickel, preservatives, organic compounds, bacteria, and other potentially harmful substances in the inks among other things."

I guess if you could find a more traditional tattooist that uses ground up carbon or the like for the ink that would be better than the modern ink composition used. But in general it's best to avoid tattoos, I'm sure that would be the advise Peat would give.

"Titanium and aluminum are often used as colorants in tattoos; more worrisome, inks using nonmetal colorants may include traces of antimony, arsenic, beryllium, chromium, cobalt, lead, nickel, and selenium (AESI filed over the latter eight metals)."

Metal Toxicity: Tattoos: Safe Symbols?

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[David PS]

It is extremely difficult to find out the composition of tattoo inks. The FDA is not in the business of regulating the compositions and the ink suppliers keep the exact composition of their inks as trade secrets.

Toxicology of Tattoo Ink and Cancer | Report By Hazox Inc

The growing popularity that tattoos have gained in the world, makes us wonder what risks consumers are exposed to when putting a design on their skin. What consumers of this type of art most often consider

www.hazoxinc.com

The tattoos loose their color because the heavy metal particles (agglomerates) used in the ink are breaking down and diffusing deeper into her body.

 

[ww3not4me]

Do either of you guys have tattoos?

Rice often has Arsenic do you avoid all rice? Cacao often has heavy metals do you avoid all chocolate? Tea has a lot of Fluoride in it should we all call poison control when drink a cup of tea or brush our teeth?

You can become a neurotic mess trying to avoid all risk or you can live life. Some how I have survived skating, bike races, mountain climbing, white water rafting, BASE jumping, bridge diving, McDonalds, multiple car accidents,

This site loves to push aspirin yet there 20,000 major bleeds in the UK each year and 3,000 deaths each year from aspirin every year according to Prof Peter Rothwell(Link bellow). Does that mean we should all stop taking aspirin? No! It means that life is full of risk and if you want to live a full life you need to know the risks before you take them. It does not mean you shut yourself in your home and avoid all risk! Dr. Ray Peat in big on aspirin in spite of these numbers. What empirical numbers do you have for the number of people harmed short term or long term by tattoos???

I am by no means promoting tattoos as a health tonic but you two make the presumption that if it is not a health tonic it must be absolutely toxic and will surely cause an early death or some form of disease. Getting into you car each day is carries a far great risk. Doing any work around the house is super risky. taking a shower is super risky! being a stay at home Mom or Dad is super risky! Love that neither of your two internet experts actually have a tattoo!

how many people die from aspirin each year? - Google Search

 

[Zsazsa]

View: https://twitter.com/T3MaxxiAlt/status/1600648075835428866

 

[Makrosky]

I would not do it, but if you do it, do it without hesitating and believing it is safe. Otherwise if you accidentally develop whatever health problems in 10 years you will look for causative factors and then regret having done it etc... double misery for nothing. That is if we are talking about smalled sized ones. If you plan to tattoo your whole body that is another story.

I highly doubt a tattoo is worse than let's say having an analgam in mouth or living in a polluted city center. And there are dozens of millions of people having perfectly normal healthy lives with that.