Tattoos are common nowadays, and there are many people all around the world with elaborate and intricate designs that tell stories about their lives or special moments in their life. Recent surveys show about one in three Americans has at least one tattoo, demonstrating how mainstream this art form has become. But with body art trend rising heads are turning and questions are asked about health concerns in tattooing. The big concerns have been about whether tattoos may heighten the risk of skin or a blood cancer.
Understanding the Risks
Studies in the past few years have explored potential connections between cancer and tattoos. A link between tattoos and increased lymphoma risk was published in eClinical Medicine from Lund University in Sweden, which showed that tattooed people had a 21 percent higher risk of developing this blood cancer.
Possible Explanations for Relationship
Response of the Immune System During Ink Injection: The immune system may respond to stimulation when injected into the skin. The ink is treated by the body as a foreign body, where it could result in long-term inflammation. Long-term inflammation (which lasts for months on end) can change the way that cells behave, and has been associated with many cancers.
Chemical Exposure — The ink found in tattoos is not always well-regulated. Many inks are made from heavy metals and other toxic substances that may be carcinogenic. Continued exposure to these may raise the risk of developing cancer, especially if the body may pile up these harmful toxins.
Tattoo Ink Infection Risks: A study found bacteria in tattoo inks, according to a report in Applied and Environmental Microbiology. Infections can cause many health problems, including chronic conditions that may increase cancer risk. Maintaining hygiene while making a tattoo is crucial to help reduce this risk.
A Balanced Perspective
Although this sounds alarming, the topic is nuanced. Most tattooed persons are not going to get cancer, and most will live a long healthy life with no issues. However, to say tattoos cause cancer would perhaps be incorrect — that would need extensive research to conclude — but a definite connection still exists.
Also, tattoo experience may influence positively on psychology for many. Tattoos are frequently healing or meaningful symbols, and part of mental health and identity. For a lot of people, these rewards may outweigh any risks.
What Should You Consider?
Here are some of the simple points to remember if you are planning for a tattoo:
Pick a Quality Artist: Be sure to find a reputable tattoo artist that uses proper hygiene. Make sure they use sterilized equipment and good inks.
Know Your Skin: Understand your individual health history and skin conditions that may increase risk. Before making decisions, consulting with a healthcare professionals may help.
Keep Updated: But as science advances, remote as it might seem, be updated with new studies concerning tattoo and dermal health. Knowing the risks might enable you to decide in accordance with your principles and health goals.
Conclusion
Whether tattoo has potential to induce disease blood or skin cancer is still an question, however to this moment we can just speculate as is still being research. Some researchers have reported an association, but individual health and lifestyle are more important factors to consider. Tattoos are an often beautiful way to adorn an already beautiful body and express the deeper meanings of life
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