In 2022, the Medical University of Lodz, in Poland, reported a severe case of allergic reaction to red tattoo ink in a 36-year-old man. Another similar situation occurred in Mexico recently, when A 27-year-old woman had to be assisted by a specialist after presenting scaly lesions and itching, almost a month after having tattooed flowers of different colors on the leg and foot area.
Is it risky to get a tattoo? Why is the focus on the red ink?
Donís Muñoz, dermatologist belonging to the Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, stated that “80% of cases of skin reactions caused by tattoos are caused by the red inkboth in its pure state and mixed with other pigments”.
However, the risk associated with tattoos is not only related to this color. The chances of the area becoming infected in the short term or shortly after getting a tattoo is real. Even late appearance and/or persistent over time, “is very high.” Tattoo allergy is a phenomenon that can occur even months or years after the procedure.
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The symptoms
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Allergic reaction to tattoos can lead to various types of signs and symptomswhich are not always easy to understand by the inexperienced eye, also due to the presence of the design on the skin, especially if it is very complex or composed of several colors, which mask the natural appearance of the skin, they point out from the pharmaceutical company Bayer’s website.
“The most typical skin manifestations that appear as a consequence of sensitization of the immune system are redness and swelling of the skin of the tattooed area, generally accompanied by itching, even intense, and sometimes papules or blisters. “If the allergy to polychromatic tattoo is due to one of the inks used, these symptoms follow the pattern defined by the ink of that color, but are not present in areas where other dyes have been used.”
Causes of allergy
The cause of tattoo allergy may be related to:
Some of the components of the ink used (pigments, metals or additives) that act as an allergen.
To the degradation products of pigments, which progressively form in the skin over time or, more massively, during laser tattoo removal.
The material from which the needles used to inject pigments into skin tissues are made (in particular, nickel and chromium)1.
Contact with other substances used by tattoo artists while tattooing (for example, latex gloves if you are not careful to choose nitrile or other hypoallergenic materials).
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How to deal with an allergy
As with all forms of allergiesonce sensitization to a substance has been established, the only way to avoid problems of any kind is eliminate that substance from the body. In addition, there may be other medical treatments, with the proposals most used by experts being topical or systemic immunomodulators and/or low-potency topical corticosteroids. However, a complete answer has not been found in the majority of reports that have used these options. This is why removing the source of this hypersensitivity (ink), whether with surgery or laser, has shown marked effectiveness compared to medical therapy.
In the case of tattoos intended to persist for years within the skin, the removal of risk compounds is a non-trivial operation and requires removal of the tattoo, with an appropriate method. Currently, the most used technique is tattoo removal with different types of lasers3 (with different wavelengths and radiation emission frequencies) indicated to remove different colors. Alternatively, surgical excision of the skin in the tattooed area may be used.
laser treatment
Laser treatment is usually expensive and demanding, as it requires several sessions, especially to remove red, yellow and green pigments. “In addition, in the case of red, which is the color most frequently responsible for allergic sensitization, it is not always possible to completely eliminate it from the skin, with the consequent residual remains of the original design, but above all with the permanence of part of the allergen inside,” the specialists point out.
The evaluation of a tattoo allergy should always be performed by a dermatologist or allergist, while for laser treatment it is advisable to contact dermatology specialists who use state-of-the-art expert tools and methods to ensure the best removal result and minimize the risk of scarring and depigmentation or hyperpigmentation of the skin.
