Tattoos May Cause Adverse Reactions

Tattoos and Makeups

New studies on tattoos and permanent makeups by U.S. researchers show that "permanent makeup" which is just another form of tattoo in place of cosmetics such as eyeliner or lipstick, and which is used by more than eight million women in the nation, may cause serious problems, particularly for people, who had a history of allergy.

Masja Straetemans of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and her colleagues stated that more than nine out of 10 tattoo users had side-effects such as tenderness, swelling, itching and more than four out of five experienced bumps.

Patients who used tattoo makeup ink to enhance eyebrows, eyelids and lips could have allergic reaction. And occasionally people developed an allergic reaction to tattoos they had for years, the researchers added.

"Our findings show that application of permanent makeup can result in serious, long-term disfiguring reactions," Straetemans said.

"Of the 92 women [included in the study], 89 had used ink shades from the specific company in at least one procedure after June 1, 2003, before the development of health problems," the study's lead author, Masja Straetemans, a senior epidemiologist at the Robert Koch Institute in Berlin, Germany.

Like a regular tattoo, the permanent makeup procedure injects pigment into a deep layer of skin called the dermis, according to the American Academy of Micropigmentation (AAM). The epidermis is the layer of skin which is visible, and the one that constantly sheds and renews itself.

According to the AAM, there are different reasons why people want to have cosmetic tattoos, including wanting to save time, having difficulty applying makeup, and thinning eyebrows or eyelashes, etc.

"The body sees the pigment as a foreign body and reacts to it, causing a chronic inflammatory reaction," said Dr. Ellen Marmur, chief of dermatological surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. "The area gets swollen, bumpy and red. It looks like a bad, bumpy scar. It's very unattractive."

Marmur said it's impossible to know ahead of time who will have a reaction on the tattoo and who won't, although most of the people interviewed for the study -- 74 percent -- had a history of allergies. Additionally, the study found that people with allergies took twice as long to heal, on average, Straetemans said.

However there is also good news: according to Straetemans, 89 of the 92 study participants had been injected with ink from a single product line. That line of inks was recalled by its manufacturer, Premier Products in Arlington, Texas, in September 2004, according to the FDA.

Marmur said she believes people do not know about all the risks connected with these types of procedures, especially the most common one: dissatisfaction with the way the tattoo looks. "People need to know the cost of reversing a tattoo is often more than getting it," she said.

Another risk, Marmur said, is such serious infections as hepatitis may be acquired during the procedure of getting tattoo, "You don't know if the needles are safe, and if they're not sterilized, they can introduce bacteria and viruses under your skin. Even your own bacteria that live on your skin can be a problem if the skin isn't cleaned properly."

Marmur suggests to reduce the risks and to ask for a list of ingredients in the inks to see if there's anything likely to cause a reaction. Also, the patient should know beforehand whether that particular ink can be removed at a later date. Some red inks, which could be used in a lipstick tattoo, turn black and become permanent if they're exposed to the lasers commonly used to remove tattoos, she said.

Marmur said: "You should know the common and rare side effects before doing anything, and you should know if it's something that can be reversed if you're not happy with the results. Also, ask if there's any way to allergy test in advance.