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Be Careful, Tattoos Can Increase The Risk Of Cancer

Researchers are warning people considering getting a tattoo to reconsider their decision, as new research suggests that getting one may increase the risk of skin and lymph node cancers. 

Previous studies have suggested that tattoo ink can penetrate the skin and travel to the lymph nodes, raising questions about the potential health risks, Medical Daily reported on Wednesday (March 5). 

However, determining whether tattoos directly increase cancer risk is tricky, as the effects of ink exposure may not be apparent until decades later. 

In the new study, published in the journal BMC Public Health, researchers examined the long-term effects of tattoos using large-scale data from more than 5,900 twins in Denmark. 

"The unique aspect of our approach is that we were able to compare pairs of twins in which one of them developed cancer, but they shared many of the same genetic and environmental factors," researcher Jacob von Bornemann Hjelmborg said in a press release. 

"This gives us a more robust method to investigate whether tattoos themselves can influence cancer risk," he said. 

New research suggests a higher incidence of skin cancer and lymphoma in tattooed individuals compared to their untattooed twins. 

Another interesting finding from the study is that the risks associated with tattoos are not the same across designs. 

Individuals with larger tattoos, those larger than the palm of their hand, had a higher risk of cancer. 

Additionally, the longer a tattoo was on the body, the greater the risk. 

Over time, more ink collects in the lymph nodes, which can further increase the risk of skin and lymph node cancer. 

"We can see ink particles collecting in the lymph nodes, and we suspect that the body perceives them as foreign," said Henrik Frederiksen, one of the study's authors. 

"This could mean that the immune system is constantly trying to respond to the ink, and we don't yet know whether this constant strain can weaken the lymph node function or have other health consequences," he said. 

More research is needed to understand lymph node function at a molecular level and whether certain types of lymphoma are more associated with tattoos than others. 

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Tag: Cancer Tattoo