Tattoo allergy is rare, but it cannot be ruled out. Therefore, people prone to allergies should think carefully about their decision to get a tattoo.
Tattoo allergy is a rare condition (it affects less than one percent of people who get tattooed), yet it is being talked about more and more often. All because of the exceptional rise in popularity of tattoos in recent years.
In the past, body ornamentation was reserved only for certain social or ethnic groups, now (CBOS data from 2022) tattoos have 8 percent. Poles.
No wonder that with the increase in the number of tattoos, the number of tattoo allergies, and more precisely to the substances contained in the inks used to make them, also increased. It is a kind of contact allergic reaction after puncturing the skin with a needle and introducing dyes underneath it.
Contents:
- Tattoo inks - the cause of tattoo allergies
- Which dyes sensitize the most?
- Symptoms of tattoo allergies
- Treatment of tattoo allergies
- Can tattoo allergies be prevented?
Tattoo inks - the cause of tattoo allergies
Each tattoo ink has a slightly different composition. It depends not only on the manufacturer, but above all on the color of the ink.
The color is obtained thanks to certain pigments, which are chemical substances or heavy metals (cadmium, lead, zinc, arsenic, chromium and mercury). They are the main allergens, causing unwanted skin symptoms, but also carcinogens.
Unfortunately, tattoo inks are not treated either as cosmetics or as medical devices, therefore safety regulations do not apply to them. This is the case in the European Union, but also in the Antipodes, for example. However, this is about to change - apparently the European Chemicals Agency is developing new regulations after it has questioned about 4,000. ink ingredients.
In the United States, tattoo inks are regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration as cosmetics and color additives. Recently, inspections have been tightened in the USA - tattoo ink factories and suppliers of ingredients used in production are checked.
Which dyes sensitize the most?
Some dyes made of the specifiedsubstances are strong allergens, so we can select carcasses that sensitize more and those that sensitize less.
Most tattoo allergies are caused by red and yellow pigments, especially those made of mercury sulphide (cinnabar) and lead. These colors of ink cause the most severe rashes and other skin lesions. Also very allergenic are manganese and aluminum, which are purple in color, and iron oxide, which is a component of black, red and brown ink.
Some tattoo allergies may only appear in certain situations. This is the case, for example, with the yellow dye. Cadmium sulfide is also used for the production of yellow ink, which becomes an allergen when exposed to sunlight.
Iron oxide, on the other hand, used in various types of carcasses, reacts badly with the magnetic field, which is generated, for example, during MRI tests - patients who had to undergo this examination for he alth reasons complained of painful redness and swelling at the site tattoo.
A similar phenomenon of tattoo allergy was also observed in people who decided to laser remove the drawing from the skin. Some of them developed an allergic reaction under the influence of laser light.
Symptoms of tattoo allergies
Most people experience the first symptoms of tattoo allergy soon after contact with the ink, i.e. within the first 24 hours after drawing.
The most common allergic reactions are:
- swelling
- redness
- rash
- lichen
- peeling skin
- blue or red bumps around the tattoo (granulomas)
Tattoo allergy can be itchy, painful, and even fever and muscle aches caused by inflammation.
The first three symptoms are most often the result of an acute inflammatory reaction or contact dermatitis. These ailments are not serious and usually disappear after about two or three weeks. They occur as a result of contact with yellow or red ink.
Lichen is a rare symptom that usually occurs after using red ink. The lesions appear as red, lumpy lesions with an uneven texture and surface.
Peeling of the skin is common in photoallergic reactions, i.e. when exposed to UV rays. Granulomas, on the other hand, are small bumps caused by the use of a red, purple, green, or blue tattoo.
Worth knowingHenna tattoo- is it allergic?
Henna is a natural dye produced from the leaves of defenseless lawsonia. Henna tattoos are temporary andconsidered safe, but it turns out not to be so.
Many henna carcasses are combined with paraphenylenediamine (PPD), which is a very strong allergen, to make it darker.
It was this substance that caused permanent scarring in a 7-year-old British woman who got a henna tattoo while on vacation in Egypt. The case was loud 2 years ago when the girl's parents started writing about it on social media to warn other parents.
Treatment of tattoo allergies
An allergic reaction usually disappears after two or three weeks, but to reduce its annoyance, it is worth using preparations available in pharmacies without a prescription. They are creams with hydrocortisone or antihistamines used in allergies to soothe rash, swelling of the skin and redness.
If this doesn't help and your allergy is still severe, visit a dermatologist who will prescribe prescription medications, antibiotics (if the rash has become an infection), or steroid ointments.
It is advisable to use cold compresses temporarily to soothe itching and to use tattoo creams that have a protective effect on the skin.
If treatment is unsuccessful, i.e. symptoms persist, the tattoo may need to be removed, preferably with a laser technique.
Can tattoo allergies be prevented?
It's hard to avoid tattoo allergies. Mainly because - as we mentioned - the composition of inks is not regulated by any regulations, and there are also no fixed recipes for specific ink colors.
Therefore, the fact that one tattoo did not cause allergies does not mean that the next one will also not result in allergy. It should also be remembered that an allergy to a given pigment containing some heavy metal is not always synonymous with the existence of an allergy to a given metal.
Observations have shown that cheaper and less durable inks contain less heavy metals, and therefore less potential allergens, it is worth remembering when choosing ink.
As a rule, people prone to allergies or allergic to various types of dyes (in food or cosmetics) are also allergic to tattoo inks. If they dream about a tattoo and want to avoid tattoo allergies, they should get a patch test first.
It consists in applying ink by the tattoo artist to the skin and leaving it there for 24 hours. This way, you can try several types of inks until you find the safe one. It should be remembered that some symptoms may appear delayed - up to a month after contact with the ink.
Attention!An allergic reaction may revealas a result of decreased immunity caused by an infection caused by the use of non-sterile tools (e.g. HIV, hepatitis C or herpes).