Severe Skin Reactions With Tattoos Common, Underreported

According to a recent survey, 6% of adults living in New York City who have a tattoo have experienced a form of chronic tattoo-related rash, swelling, or severe itching.

“We were rather alarmed at the high rate of reported chronic complications tied to getting a tattoo,” explained Marie Leger, MD, PhD, the study’s lead investigator and an assistant professor in NYU Langone’s Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology.
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“Given the growing popularity of tattoos, physicians, public health officials, and consumers need to be aware of the risks involved,” she said.

For their study, researchers conducted interviews of 300 adults, age 18 to 69, in Central Park in New York City in June of 2013.  

Overall, 6% of those surveyed had experienced a form of tattoo-related rash, itching, or swelling that lasted longer than 4 months.

The surveys also showed that other short-term complications including infection and delayed healing occurred in 10% of individuals, and only 1/3 of those who had a reaction sought medical help.

While many of these adverse skin reactions are treatable with anti-inflammatory drugs, some may require laser surgery, the researchers noted, citing a lack of regulatory oversight as a major factor in the complications associated with tattoos.

“It is not yet known if the reactions being observed are due to chemicals in the ink itself or to other chemicals, such as preservatives or brighteners, added to them, or to the chemicals’ breakdown over time,” researchers said. “The lack of a national database or reporting requirements also hinders reliable monitoring.”

Moving forward, researchers will conduct a larger survey to understand the association between colored inks and dye components to adverse reactions in people.

“The skin is a highly immune-sensitive organ, and the long-term consequences of repeatedly testing the body’s immune system with injected dyes and colored inks are poorly understood,” they concluded. “Some of the reactions appear to be an immune response, yet we do not know who is most likely to have an immune reaction to a tattoo.”

—Michelle Canales Butcher

Reference:

1. NYU Langone Medical Center. Getting “inked” may come with long-term medical risks, physicians warn [press release]. http://nyulangone.org/press-releases/getting-inked-may-come-with-long-term-medical-risks-physicians-warn. Accessed May 29, 2015.