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Sophie Jones

Understanding The Side Effects of Getting A Tattoo

Recent research suggests that over 40 per cent of young adults have at least one permanent tattoo on their bodies. One of the major reasons for this sudden boom in getting tattoos is because they are appealing and can be customized as per your needs. Some people even get tattoos to honour their loved ones or immortalize the ones they love.


Getting tattoo essential means puncturing your skin with a needle and inserting coloured pigmentation inside them, over and over again. These punctures are known as micro-injuries and one must be extremely cautious while taking care of these. Getting a good quality tattoo has indeed become easy in the past decade, but they are still multiple factors that can go wrong. In that case, you have to opt for pain-free tattoo removal surgeries. Below we have discussed some of the side effects of getting a tattoo-


  • Allergic Reaction

If you have never taken an allergy test, you might not be aware of things that you may be allergic to. An allergic reaction is your body attacking a foreign substance. Since getting a tattoo includes inserting ink in the upper layer of your skin, there is a high chance that you may get an allergic reaction from this tattoo.

The allergic reaction is mainly due to the presence of plastic in the ink, with the coloured ink having the highest concentration of plastic in them. Some of the symptoms of an allergic reaction due to the ink may include hives, rashes, itchiness and swelling around the area of tattoos.


  • Skin Infection

Since getting a tattoo involves injuring your skin repeatedly, the chances of getting the injury infected increases tremendously. The micro-injuries may take up to 3 weeks to heal completely, so one must be wary and take care of it. Usually, the tattoo artist will give you strict instruction on how to take care in the initial few weeks. You must strictly adhere to their instruction.

You should not touch your tattoo unless you have washed your hands, you must wipe the tattoo with sterile napkins and make sure that the injury is covered and kept away from dust. The first couple of weeks are the most crucial as during this time the tattoo is most vulnerable. If the skin infection becomes chronic you have to get tattoo removal surgery.


  • Sterilisation of the Needles

Not using sterilised needles drastically increases the chance of getting life-threatening diseases. Using the same needle to draw tattoos on multiple people without sterilizing poses the risk of transmitting blood-borne diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis C.

Therefore, one must also get a tattoo from a reputed shop that uses sterilised needles. In America, many states have a law that requires the shop to compulsorily sterilise their equipment.


  • Tattoos can Hide Cancer

There have been numerous cases where people have failed to notice the initial signs of skin cancer due to that area of their skin being covered by tattoos. Some of the telltale signs of skin cancer are red patches and abnormal moles. These signs can be mistaken for skin infection or an allergic reaction caused by the tattoos. Only by getting the best tattoo removal in the USA your chances of intercepting the signs of cancers stand to improve.

Similarly, tattoo ink can spread under the skin and resemble the abnormal spreading of the unidentified substance under the skin, which can cause a lot of doctors to wrongly evaluate it as cancer.


  • Interference with the Medical Procedures

If you have a tattoo, then there is a chance that it can interfere with certain medical procedures like MRI scans. MRI scans can cause the area around the skin to swell up, especially if the tattoo is done using low-quality ink.

The MRI scans may also give out wrong readings due to the presence of this pigmentation. Always consult your doctor before taking such medical procedures. There is a chance that the doctor might suggest getting the tattoo removed.


  • Thermoregulatory Problems

Since the tattooed area on your skins releases 50% less sweat, the chances of getting a heat stroke increase. Working professionals who are constantly exposed to a hot and humid environment are more susceptible to this condition.

It is also noted that the sweat released by the tattooed area of the skin has a higher concentration of sodium and other electrolytes. Usually, sodium and electrolyte are reabsorbed by the skin after perspiration, but the tattoo ink might affect this reabsorption.


Some people do not have any of the complications or side effects mentioned above, but we can never know whether we are one of those people. Even though the safety standards of getting a tattoo have improved over the years, it isn’t entirely risk free. Therefore, it helps to know about the potential side-effects before you make up your mind to get one. You should also talk to your doctor or your tattoo artist if you have other concerns.


Inkology to the Rescue:

Inkology’s premium range of the best tattoo removal creams out there not only present you with a welcome break from traditional tattoo removal procedures but also present you with the most-hassle free spectrum of methods to get your ink designs removed. Guided by a team of world-renowned specialty healthcare experts we take pride in distributing the safest and most effective tattoo removal cream in the market out there.


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