WeeklySA_AdminDATA: But no need to worry, best to be aware of tattooing risks, as there is little research into whether there should be concerns in this regard…
By Hanna Flynn
Tattoos were associated with a 21 percent increased risk of lymphoma, a type of blood cancer, according to an observational study of a Swedish entity.
Researchers from Lund University, Sweden analysed the Swedish National Cancer Register, and found that the size of the tattoo had little effect on the risk of cancer. The results were published in eClinical Medicine.
While researchers were already aware of the potentially carcinogenic properties of some tattoo inks, the researchers who conducted this study said the impact they had on cancer risk was not, prompting them to undertake the current research.
Lead researcher Christel Nielsen, PhD, an associate professor at the University of Lund, in Sweden, explained to Medical News Today (NMT):
“There has been quite a lot of focus on the chemical content of tattoo ink during the last 10 years, particularly in Europe. Tattoo ink often contains chemicals that are known to cause cancer in other contexts, for example in occupationally exposed workers. We also know that the ink is transported away from the skin by the immune system, as the body tries to remove the ink particles that it perceives as something foreign that should not be there. It has been shown that this process moves the pigment to the lymph nodes, and that it is permanently stored there.”
“We wanted to connect the dots and understand how our health is affected by permanent storage of potentially toxic chemicals within the immune system,” she told NMT.
Researchers identified cases of lymphoma in the Swedish National Cancer Register, a centralised database of cancer cases in the country. In order to include people most likely to have a tattoo they restricted the ages of patients they were interested in identifying to 20–60 years old, when they were diagnosed with lymphoma, between 2007 and 2017. They then contacted affected individuals and controls — three per affected individual — to ask them to opt in to the study, and ended up with a study group of 1 398 people with lymphoma and 4 193 people without lymphoma.
They discovered that 21 percent of the people with lymphoma had a tattoo, and 18 percent of those without lymphoma had a tattoo.
The risk was 81 percent higher for people with tattoos than people without tattoos, in the two years after receiving a tattoo, researchers found. This risk dropped between years 3–10 post-tattooing and then increased to a 19% higher risk after 11 years.
Overall, participants with tattoos had a 21 percent higher risk of lymphoma compared to controls. The size of the tattoo did not impact the risk of lymphoma.
The two lymphomas which individuals with tattoos were at most increased risk of developing compared to those without tattoos were diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and follicular lymphoma.
What explains the increased cancer risk?
The researchers of the current study did not investigate why the increased risk occurred with tattooing, though they did adjust their analysis for potentially confounding factors, such as educational attainment, income, smoking, or marital status, to minimise the potential effect of socioeconomic status and lifestyle on the results.
MNT asked Dr Wael Harb, a haematologist and medical oncologist, not involved in this research, whether the differences observed between people with and without tattoos could, in fact, be due to lifestyle factors.
According to him: “The study adjusted for several lifestyle factors, including smoking and socioeconomic status, in its analysis. While tattoos themselves were found to be a risk factor for lymphoma, the lifestyle factors associated with individuals who get tattoos (e.g., smoking, substance use) could also contribute to the increased risk.“
Harb cautioned that “[t]he study’s findings indicate the need for further research to disentangle the effects of tattoos from related lifestyle factors and to understand better the role of lifestyle in the observed associations.”
Dr Rachel Orritt, health information manager at Cancer Research UK, also not involved in the study, said “[t]here isn’t enough evidence to say that tattoos increase people’s cancer risk, and more research is needed.“ She agreed with Harb that “[i]n this study in particular, other reasons could explain why people with tattoos had a higher risk of malignant lymphoma.“
“This is a difficult area to study, because there are lots of different possible ingredients in tattoo ink, making it tricky to understand the effects,“ noted Orritt. “If people are concerned about their cancer risk, there are proven steps they can take to reduce it. These include not smoking, eating a healthy, balanced diet, and cutting down on alcohol,” she advised.
What are the health risks of getting a tattoo?
Tattooing exposes people not only to the ink in the tattoo but also the risks associated with needle use. There is a risk that hepatitis C can be passed on via tattooing needles that are not properly sterilized, and links have been made between hepatitis C and increased risk of non-Hodgkin lymphomaTrusted Source.
Insofar as blood cancer risk is concerned, Nielsen told MNT that a few viruses were a possible cause of lymphoma but, she opined, ”Swedish tattooists are very well educated in terms of safety and hygiene, so I don’t think that can explain our results.” The study authors were keen to point out that tattoo popularity had increased in the early 2000s. In fact, Nielsen has even publicly stated that most of her research team has tattoos.
This increased popularity meant that about 20 percent of Europeans had tattoos and up to 30 percent of Americans had tattoos. The fact that many people got tattoos at a young age meant that people were exposed to the ink in them over a lifetime. However, the impact they could have on health had not been adequately scrutinised.
Lotions for tattoo aftercare
Each tattoo artist is likely to have a different recommendation for what moisturizer someone should use. Common recommendations include:
• alcohol-free healing ointments
• coconut oil
• tattoo-specific cream
• pure cocoa butter or shea butter
It is important not to use any scented creams or lotions. Harsh chemicals can irritate the wound and damage the tattooed skin. A person should also avoid using sunscreen on a tattoo until it is fully healed, as this can clog the pores and trap bacteria.
Wash the tattoo regularly but gently, especially after dirty or sweaty activities. Drink plenty of water to help keep the skin moist and supple. – Source: NMT
