Russian researchers have revealed some of the most dangerous ailments that can be caused by tattoos on the skin. A study conducted by the Scientific and Practical Center of Dermatovenereology and Cosmetology of Moscow ensures that this practice can be accompanied by complications ranging from local infectious processes to chronic diseases in the skin, such as psoriasis and dermatitis, among others.
Based on the clinical case of a patient with a black and red tattoo on one foot, specialists discovered that she suffered from lichen planus, a rare inflammatory disease associated with an allergic or immune reaction. The young woman complained of burning, stinging, peeling and inflammation, which also caused changes in the appearance of the design on the skin.
Allergies
According to the research, the causes may be associated with an allergy to pigments introduced into the skin, especially the red color, which “statistically causes late complications more often” and is linked to dermatitis -the swelling and pain, due to the fact that it contains mercury sulfide .
In this case it was necessary to resort to complex medical procedures, such as photochemotherapy, and the use of antiallergics and anti-inflammatories. However, the disease does not always disappear completely; Even after a successful treatment, it may reappear.
Staphylococcus and hepatitis
The dermatologist Elena Kovtunova warns about another common problem: the Staphylococcus aureus (‘Staphylococcus aureus’), which develops if an individual with a new tattoo who does not practice the necessary care, and the healing process is accompanied by a purulent inflammation.
The specialist stresses that there is also a direct connection between the number of tattoos and the risk of getting hepatitis C, especially if the tattooing process is not carried out with sterilized materials. “People with tattoos, especially if they have large areas of the body covered, are the highest risk group to get hepatitis,” he says.
Cancer
It has been shown that getting a tattoo can cause problems in the immune system over the years, since the pigments in the ink – which contains soot, metal oxides and salts – can accumulate in the lymph nodes, even for life, and propitiate cutaneous inflammations and other adversities.
A research carried out in 2016 by the European Chemical Substances and Mixtures Agency determined that some of the pigments could even be carcinogenic or capable of producing mutations and toxic effects. The colors red, blue, green and purple could cause granulomas: small inflammations in the skin; and black could contain high levels of toxic substances forbidden for use on human skin.
“The more we alter the immune system, the greater the risks of oncological diseases, the large tattoos are not a joy for immunity, everything we receive from outside, our body tries to eliminate it,” explains Kovtunova.
Finally, the dermatologist advises to avoid getting tattoos on areas of the skin where there are moles, because this can increase the risk of melanomas.
