Tattoos are increasingly becoming popular, but they can pose major and serious health risks than you have ever thought. While the process of getting a tattoo is simple, you should carefully think about the health effects of the permanent body art before considering having one. Tattoos refer to permanent marks or designs made on your skin using pigments that are inserted through pricks into the outer layer of your skin. During the process, the needles insert tiny droplets of ink and can cause a small bleeding or pain. Here are the top 12 health dangers of tattoos:
1-Skin Infections
Tattoos are made using needles with ink that rips off part of the skin. During the process, the needles may leave small open wounds at points of insertion. This makes your skin more porous for bacteria and can lead to infections. According to a small study recently published in the journal Contact Dermatitis, about 1 in 10 people who get tattoos experience problems like infection, redness, and swelling. You should always get your tattoos from experts who use anesthesia and observe proper hygiene to reduce the risk of skin infections. It is also worthy noting that needles can worsen an already underlying skin problem.
2-Allergic Reactions
Tattoo dyes come in different colors, including red, green, blue, yellow, black, or white. Some of these dyes can trigger allergic reactions, including irritation, inflammation, itchiness or rash at the insertion sites. Such allergic reactions can occur immediately after a tattoo is made or even years later. You may be pleased to have the best tattoo among your peers, but you will possibly be alone when facing major allergic reactions in the future. It might be too costly or impossible to reverse some of the changes that come with tattoos. To avoid such an event, appreciate the appearance on your skin or opt for tattoos that are less invasive or those made with mild dyes.
3-Skin Bumps
Skin bumps, also known as granulomas, develop around tattoo ink. Tattooing can also cause raised areas on your skin or keloids, which are triggered by an overgrowth of scar tissues at insertion points. Keloids and granulomas can be difficult to treat and may cause irreversible scarring that lasts for a lifetime. They are often produced in response to foreign materials from tattoo dyes or due to inflammation of skin tissues. Isn’t it just good to love the skin you naturally inherited from your parents? Or do you think skin bumps are something to appreciate?
4-Blood-borne Diseases
You must agree that not all disinfectants work effectively all the time. If you get tattoos from equipment’s that are contaminated with blood, chances are that you are bound to contract various blood-borne illnesses, including hepatitis B, hepatitis C, tetanus, and even still, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. Some risks are sometimes not worth taking! Tattoos will hardly make you a little attractive if you are already not, but taking appropriate care of your natural skin can significantly enhance your appearance. Some of the infectious disease you can contract when getting your tattoo can take a12watoll of your overall skin and body beauty. Some are fatal too.
5-MRI Complications
Some tattooing techniques use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to make permanent marks on the skin. MRI complication like inflammation, swelling or burning may occur during the process. In some instances, tattoo pigments can alter the quality of the image being created on the skin. You may end up getting exactly what you were not after, and it could be too late to reverse the changes. You may be prompted to seek specialized medications or other treatments in case of allergic reactions, irritation or other events. This means you will have to dig deeper into your pocket or result to medications to treat self-prescribed problems.
6-Regret
Some people regret having tattoos that remind them of their former partners. According to Dr. Maria Leger, an assistant professor at New York University department of dermatology, the increasing popularity of tattoos among consumers can cause long term skin issues that may leave them in pain and enduring emotional distress. She added that some tattoos may leave permanent lesions that require to be removed through surgical processes.
7-Increased Sensitivity
In reference to Dr. Maria who examined 300 tattooed adults, the skin is a highly immune-sensitive organ. When it is exposed to long term consequences of repeated tattoos, it keeps testing the immune system through injected dyes and colored inks. While short term complications occur in 10% of the cases, others experienced delayed healing, swelling, pain and infection for an extended period. This is mainly because their skin became more sensitive to dyes and inks, according to Dr. Maria.
8-Underground “Scratchers”
Most people who want to get tattoo on their skin mainly opt for cheaper treatment centers instead of going for specialized treatments. Rick Stevens, the president of the Tattoo Piercing Industry Union, told Mirror Online that many of health problems are caused by underground “scratcher” tattoo artists who operate without licenses. Stevens wonder why the NHS fails to ask patients where they got a tattoo after it develops complications.
9-Psoriasis
Psoriasis refers to a skin condition that occurs due to a life-long immune-mediated disease. Although there a various ways to diminish symptoms associated with psoriasis, medical professionals are yet to discover a complete cure. If you have this condition, your immune system responds to your normal skin cells as pathogens. This triggers an overproduction of skin cells. Symptoms associated with psoriasis include excessive itchiness, scaly patches and scarring of the affected areas.
10-Dermatitis
Dermatitis is the skin inflammation that takes place in stages. The earlier stages are marked by red dry itchy skin. In advanced stages, patients develop blisters that produce fluid and scaly skin. If you have dermatitis, you should contact a dermatologist at once for appropriate diagnosis to find out the best treatment approaches.
11-Irreversible Mark
It is not as much painful to get a tattoo than to have it removed. Even with numerous technological advances, getting a tattoo totally erased is quite challenging for skin professionals and the person who has it. You may be required to undergo a few sessions of plastic surgery. However, it can be difficult to completely remove a tattoo without leaving a scar or some mark.
12-Toxicity Problems
If you want to get your tattoo removed, some of the pigments used are phototoxic and may breakdown into toxic chemicals. This can also happen when you use laser or UV light. These toxic chemicals move into your kidneys, liver and other organs where they can cause serious illnesses.
Conclusion
Before you decide to have a tattoo, it is important to find out all the health dangers they can pose and how well you can cope with them. Skin infections, contagious conditions and irreversible changes on your skin among others all come with tattoos. While tattoos can be fun and exciting, they can make your life miserable in the future. Instead of going for artificial dyes and inks to enhance your look, resort to healthy skincare routines for a natura,l glowing skin. After all, your skin looks at its best when very natural and taken very good care of.
Learn to appreciate the things you can’t change!
References:
https://www.glozine.com/lifestyle/health
http://how-to-design-a-tattoo.com/health-concerns-tattoo/
Ella James is an aspiring author who is pursuing Health Services Administration degree from St. Petersburg College. She is an active contributor to Consumer Health Digest, which is a leading Health News Website. Her interests include reading and writing about Health, Fitness and Lifestyle News. Get connected with her on Facebook and Twitter.
The Zeit 
I appreciate this post–tattoos are very popular where I live, and it’s important for people to know about these things. I have also heard that tattoos cause problems with body temperature regulation–specifically that wherever you have a tattoo, you don’t sweat there, so you get overheated more easily.
I have never gotten a tattoo because of the permanence of it–I wear T-shirts with pictures and statements instead!
I remember a true story of a young man who was mauled by a grizzly in the United States–and lived to tell about it. He got a tattoo of a grizzly on top of one of his numerous scars, so he could come to terms with it. I thought this was a really good use for a tattoo. But I think he had a special reason for getting a tattoo–and that perhaps tattoos are best reserved for such special circumstances.
Hi 03alwi, I agree with what you said on Top 12 Dangers. Good informative post.
This is why I do not trust getting a tattoo.
Reblogged this on Today,s Thought.
don’t forget that it can also affect your nerves ‘specially if you’ve suffered from nerve damage before.
Great point! Thanks
Reblogged this on Gay Guide To Cambodia and commented:
Tattoos! Do you have any?