Tag: tattoos

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Research Draws a Potential Association Between Tattoos and Cancer Risk

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Tattoo ink does not just stay under the skin – some of it makes its way into the lymph nodes. Researchers from the Department of Public Health and the Department of Clinical Research at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU), together with the University of Helsinki, have investigated whether this could have health consequences. Using data from Danish twin pairs, they found that tattooed individuals are more frequently diagnosed with skin and lymphoma cancers compared to those without tattoos.

Ink particles in the body may affect the immune system

When tattoo ink penetrates the skin, some of it is absorbed into the lymph nodes, a key part of the immune system. The researchers are particularly concerned that tattoo ink may trigger chronic inflammation in the lymph nodes, which over time could lead to abnormal cell growth and an increased risk of cancer.

“We can see that ink particles accumulate in the lymph nodes, and we suspect that the body perceives them as foreign substances,” explains Henrik Frederiksen, consultant in haematology at Odense University Hospital and clinical professor at SDU.

“This may mean that the immune system is constantly trying to respond to the ink, and we do not yet know whether this persistent strain could weaken the function of the lymph nodes or have other health consequences.”

Studying this link is challenging because cancer can take years to develop. This means that exposure in youth may not lead to illness until decades later, making it difficult to measure a direct effect.

Twin data provides a unique opportunity to study the link

The study is based on data from the Danish Twin Tattoo Cohort, where researchers have information from more than 5900 Danish twins. By analysing tattoo patterns alongside cancer diagnoses, they found a higher occurrence of both skin and lymphoma cancers in tattooed individuals.

“The unique aspect of our approach is that we can compare twin pairs where one has cancer, but they otherwise share many genetic and environmental factors,” says Jacob von Bornemann Hjelmborg, professor of biostatistics at SDU.

“This provides us with a stronger method for investigating whether tattoos themselves may influence cancer risk.”

The size of tattoos matters

The results show that the link between tattoos and cancer is most evident in those with large tattoos – defined as bigger than a palm. 

For lymphoma, the rate is nearly three times higher for the group of individuals with large tattoos compared to those without tattoos.  This rate (more specifically, ‘hazard rate’) accounts for age, the timing of the tattoo, and how long the individuals have been followed in the study. 

“This suggests that the bigger the tattoo and the longer it has been there, the more ink accumulates in the lymph nodes. The extent of the impact on the immune system should be further investigated so that we can better understand the mechanisms at play,” says Signe Bedsted Clemmensen, assistant professor of biostatistics at SDU.

Another study from the Danish Twin Tattoo Cohort shows that tattoos are becoming increasingly common. Researchers estimate that four in ten women and three in ten men will have tattoos by the age of 25.

The link to lymphoma has also been observed in an independent Swedish study from 2024.

Are some ink colours worse than others?

Previous research has suggested that certain pigments in tattoo ink may be more problematic than others.

“In our study, we do not see a clear link between cancer occurrence and specific ink colours, but this does not mean that colour is irrelevant. We know from other studies that ink can contain potentially harmful substances, and for example, red ink more often causes allergic reactions. This is an area we would like to explore further,” says Signe Bedsted Clemmensen.

What are the next steps?

The researchers now plan to investigate how ink particles affect the function of lymph nodes at a molecular level and whether certain types of lymphoma are more linked to tattoos than others.

“We want to gain a better understanding of the biological mechanisms – what happens in the lymph nodes when they are exposed to ink particles over decades? This can help us assess whether there is a real health risk and what we might do to reduce it,” concludes Signe Bedsted Clemmensen.

Source: University of Southern Denmark Faculty of Health Sciences

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Simple, Painless Microneedle Tattoos

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Researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a low-cost patch of microneedles that can be applied just by pressing it into the skin, with none of the pain and blood of traditional tattooing. The team development presented their research in the journal iScience.

These tattoos, which can be self-administered, have many potential applications, from medical alerts to tracking neutered animals to cosmetics. 

“We’ve miniaturised the needle so that it’s painless, but still effectively deposits tattoo ink in the skin,” said principal investigator Mark Prausnitz “This could be a way not only to make medical tattoos more accessible, but also to create new opportunities for cosmetic tattoos because of the ease of administration.” 

Medical applications of tattoos include covering up scars, guiding radiotherapy, or restoring nipples after breast surgery. Tattoos also serve instead of bracelets as medical alerts to communicate serious medical conditions such as diabetes, epilepsy, or allergies.  

<p>Medical alert tattoo: microneedle patch (above) and tattoo on skin (below).</p><p>Credit: Song Li, Georgia Tech</p>
Medical alert tattoo: microneedle patch (above) and tattoo on skin (below). Credit: Song Li, Georgia Tech

Various cosmetic products using microneedles are already on the market – mostly for anti-ageing – but developing microneedle technology for tattoos is new. Prausnitz, a veteran in this area, has studied microneedle patches for years to painlessly administer drugs and vaccines to the skin without the need for hypodermic needles. 

“We saw this as an opportunity to leverage our work on microneedle technology to make tattoos more accessible,” Prausnitz said. “While some people are willing to accept the pain and time required for a tattoo, we thought others might prefer a tattoo that is simply pressed onto the skin and does not hurt.”   

Transforming tattooing 

Tattoos typically use large needles to puncture repeatedly into the skin to get a good image, a time-consuming and painful process. The Georgia Tech team has developed microneedles that are smaller than a grain of sand and are made of tattoo ink encased in a dissolvable matrix.  

“Because the microneedles are made of tattoo ink, they deposit the ink in the skin very efficiently,” said former Georgia Tech postdoctoral fellow Song Li, the lead author of the study. 

In this way, the microneedles can be pressed into the skin just once and then dissolve, leaving the ink in the skin after a few minutes without bleeding.   

Creating the tattoo 

Although most microneedle patches for pharmaceuticals or cosmetics have dozens or hundreds of microneedles arranged in a square or circle, microneedle patch tattoos imprint a design that can include letters, numbers, symbols, and images. By arranging the microneedles in a specific pattern, each microneedle acts like a pixel to create a tattoo image in any shape or pattern.  

The researchers start with a mold containing microneedles in a pattern that forms an image. They fill the microneedles in the mold with tattoo ink and add a patch backing for convenient handling. The resulting patch is then applied to the skin for a few minutes, during which time the microneedles dissolve and release the tattoo ink. Tattoo inks of various colors can be incorporated into the microneedles, including black-light ink that can only be seen when illuminated with ultraviolet light.  

Prausnitz’s lab has been researching microneedles for vaccine delivery for years and realised they could be equally applicable to tattoos. Prausnitz’s team started working on tattoos to identify spayed and neutered pets, but then realised the technology could be effective for people, too. 

The tattoos were also designed with privacy in mind. The researchers even created patches sensitive to environmental factors such as light or temperature changes, where the tattoo will only appear with ultraviolet light or higher temperatures. This provides patients with privacy, revealing the tattoo only when desired. 

The study showed that the tattoos could last for at least a year and are likely to be permanent, which also makes them viable cosmetic options for people who want an aesthetic tattoo without risk of infection or the pain associated with traditional tattoos. Microneedle tattoos could alternatively be loaded with temporary tattoo ink to address short-term needs in medicine and cosmetics.  

Microneedle patch tattoos can also be used to encode information in the skin of animals. Rather than clipping the ear or applying an ear tag to animals to indicate sterilisation status, a painless and discreet tattoo can be applied instead.  

However, the technology does not aim to put tattoo artists out of business.

“The goal isn’t to replace all tattoos, which are often works of beauty created by tattoo artists,” Prausnitz said. “Our goal is to create new opportunities for patients, pets, and people who want a painless tattoo that can be easily administered.”  

Source: Georgia Institute of Technology

Categories : Lab Tests and ImagingTags :

What’s Really in that Tattoo Ink?

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After testing nearly 100 tattoo inks, researchers reported that, even when the ink bottles had ingredient labels, those ingredients listed on them were often inaccurate. The team also detected small particles that could be harmful to cells.

In the US, the Food and Drug Administration regulates tattoo ink, but in South Africa, tattoo ink [PDF] is imported largely unregulated.

The researchers presented their findings at a meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS). 

“The idea for this project initially came about because I was interested in what happens when laser light is used to remove tattoos,” said lead researcher John Swierk, PhD. “But then I realised that very little is actually known about the composition of tattoo inks, so we started analysing popular brands.”

Tattoo artists interviewed to see what they knew about the inks they use on their customers could quickly identify a brand they preferred, but they didn’t know much about its contents. “Surprisingly, no dye shop makes pigment specific for tattoo ink,” Dr Swierk explained. “Big companies manufacture pigments for everything, such as paint and textiles. These same pigments are used in tattoo inks.” He also notes that tattoo artists must be licensed in the locales where they operate for safety reasons, yet no federal or local agency regulates the contents of the inks themselves.

Tattoo inks are made up of a pigment and a carrier solution. The pigment could be a molecular compound such as a blue pigment; a solid compound such as titanium dioxide, which is white; or a combination of the two compound types such as light blue ink, which contains both the molecular blue pigment and titanium dioxide. The carrier solution transports the pigment to the middle layer of skin and typically helps make the pigment more soluble, sometimes controlling the viscosity of the ink solution and perhaps containing an anti-inflammatory ingredient.

Dr Swierk’s team has been studying the particle size and molecular composition of tattoo pigments. From these analyses, they have confirmed the presence of ingredients that aren’t listed on some labels. For example, in one case ethanol was not listed, but the chemical analysis showed it was present in the ink. The team has also been able to identify what specific pigments are present in some inks.

“Every time we looked at one of the inks, we found something that gave me pause,” Dr Swierk said. “For example, 23 of 56 different inks analysed to date suggest an azo-containing dye is present.” Although many azo pigments are not health concerns when they are chemically intact, bacteria or UV light can degrade them into another nitrogen-based compound that is a potential carcinogen, according to the Joint Research Centre, which provides independent scientific advice to the European Union.

In addition, the team has analysed 16 inks using electron microscopy, and about half contained particles under 100nm. “That’s a concerning size range,” said Dr Swierk. “Particles of this size can get through the cell membrane and potentially cause harm.”

After the researchers run a few more tests and have the data peer reviewed, they will add the information to their website “What’s in My Ink?” “With these data, we want consumers and artists to make informed decisions and understand how accurate the provided information is,” said Dr Swierk.

Source: American Chemical Society