Tattoo Risks

Tattooing is a great way to add aesthetic appeal to the body. A form of body art, it has the roots firmly laid to the prehistoric times. Right from the Neolithic Age when the mummies exhibited tattoos all over their body, to the present era, this form of body art has gained immense popularity. Though getting tattoo impressed on the body is a nice way to add artistic and sensory appeal, the effect of tattoo is much more than just beautifying and glorifying the body. Tattoos are harmless, but sometimes a wrong way of applying it or any kind of negligence, can cause serious harm to people. Tattoo risks and safety concerns have led the concerned agencies to look more closely at safety related questions.

Some of the important tattoo risks issues are concerned with tattoo removal, adverse reactions to tattoo colors and infections that result from tattooing. Another important concern is the increasing variety of pigments and diluents being used in tattooing. Many pigments that are used in tattoo inks are not approved and permitted for skin contact at all. Some of the major risks involved in tattooing are skin infection, removal problems, allergic reactions, various diseases, MRI complications and so on. However, just as they say, "No Risk No Gain", if you have decided to get a tattoo, just be sure you take all the preventive measure and are aware of all the kinds of risks involved. Read on to find more about each of the following.

Allergies
Allergies are one of the most common side effects associated with tattooing. Mostly caused by the red and green ink, which is made up of nickel, mercury (minimal or almost no), cobalt and cadmium, ink causes allergic reactions in people. The most common symptoms of allergic reactions to tattoo pigments comes across in the form of itching, swelling, redness of the skin, raised bumps, hives and irritation. Tattooing can at times also result in oozing of clear sebum from the skin.

Diseases
Since tattooing involves injection of ink into the skin of a person with the help of needles, chances of getting a disease cannot be ruled out. The needle used comes in contact with blood and bodily fluids of a person. If the needle is not properly sterilized, it is possible to get infected with diseases, such as HIV Virus and hepatitis, syphilis, tetanus, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases, at the time of tattooing. However, most tattoo studios today use fresh disposable needles for each client, thus restricting the probability to almost negligible.

Infection
After getting the tattoo on the body, chances are that the person might just experience skin infection. The infection caused can range from being minor one, as in surface infection, to extremely serious one, as in case of Staphylococcus aurous infections, causing craniological damage. The various skin infections caused, as a result of tattooing, are impetigo, cellulitis, herpes simplex, tetanus, staph, fungal infections, transmission of syphilis, leprosy and viral warts.

Other Categories