Individuals have tattoos all across their bodies for fashion reasons, but they have little knowledge of the chemicals used, which may create harmful reactions in the future. Most tattoo inks are made from organic compounds, but some contain heavy metals like nickel, chromium, and cobalt.
These harmful substances may lead to long-term reactions on the skin, cancer, and problems with hormones. Some studies have also shown no rules for making tattoo ink. This means that customers and tattoo artists must choose goods that have the greatest level of safety as well as health in mind.
How are tattoos created?
Tattoo artists utilize hand-held equipment equipped with needles and colored ink to create designs on our bodies that can endure forever or only for a brief period. These needles constantly poke the top layer of skin and drop pigment into the skin. The artist then applies something to the surrounding area for 24 hours to prevent bacteria from entering the tattoo.
What chemicals do tattoo inks contain?
Phthalates and Benzo(a)pyrene, which comprise most ink, are the most dangerous parts.
Some of the most common colors in use in tattoo inks seem to be:
- Red: This color can make your skin react due to the cadmium, mercury, or iron oxide in it. Red ink to menthol is a better choice.
- Yellow: Turmeric and arylidene are the best yellow dyes for ink.
- Blue and green: Copper phthalocyanine is the finest choice for these colors. You can use mono azo for green pigment and sodium for blue for better results.
- Black: Instead of “India ink,” which is decided to be made from animal blood, use black ink made from logwood and magnetite crystals.
- Purple: Use carbazole and dioxane to generate purple pigment. Make purple pigment without using manganese violet.
- Brown: Don’t use iron oxide to make brown paint.
What are the normal effects of tattoos?
- Reactions on the Skin: The pigments used in tattoos can cause allergic reactions on the skin, which can happen immediately or over time. A few of these rashes are irritated and red.
- Infections of the skin: In tattoo stores, a lack of cleanliness, contaminated ink, or bad equipment handling can cause serious infections such as red bumps and sores with fever, purulence, and swelling.
- Problems with MRIs: Tattoos can start making MRIs (Magnetic resonance imaging) look bad and cause swelling and irritation inside the area where the MRI is used.
- Blood-borne diseases: HIV, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C can be spread by infected tattoo equipment. So, the best thing to do before applying for a tattoo is to get hepatitis and tetanus shots.
- Effect on cancer: There is no evidence that tattoos increase cancer risk. But some pigments are poisonous, and the inks used to start making tattoos can cause cancer.
How can we stay away from the dangers of tattoos?
- Choose a Tattoo Studio Carefully: Choose a tattoo artist with a good reputation, expertise, and license to work.
- Self-Checking Equipment: You should use clean instead of dirty equipment.
- Communicate with your tattoo artist: You should tell your tattoo artist if you have an allergy or a reaction. Call the physician immediately if the problem gets worse.
- Consult a Dermatologist: Before getting a tattoo, you should talk to a dermatologist to ensure there won’t be any problems.
- Choose the skin area carefully. Don’t pick a spot with a scar, mole, or birthmark.
- Clean or disinfect your hands: It would help if you didn’t touch a tattoo to avoid getting an infection unless you’ve washed or cleaned your hands. Also, it would help if you kept the area covered for at least 24 hours.
- Don’t scratch: If you scratch, bacteria can get under your skin and continue healing.
How to take good care of your tattoos?
After getting a tattoo, you should avoid the sun for at least a few weeks.
The area needs to be moistened often to keep the skin from getting dry.
You can clear the region with soap and water but shouldn’t put hot, steamy water on the tattoo.
What Options Are There for Getting a Tattoo Removed?
Most individuals have their tattoos erased if they don’t like the design, if it fades over time, or if they get weary of having the same tattoo for several years.
Most of the time, there are three ways to get rid of a tattoo:
- Surgery to remove: This is completed with just local anesthesia. The doctor uses a scalpel to cut off the tattoo and stitches this same skin back together so it can heal. Wounds are also treated with antibacterial ointment to help them heal. This method works, but you will have a scar from the surgery. So, you can mostly use it to make small tattoos.
- Laser surgery: This is done with local anesthesia and a special laser for dark skin called Q-switched Nd: YAG. Because different ink colors have different wavelengths, you need to use different laser settings to eliminate the ink. It is common to have swelling, blisters, and bleeding after treatment.
- Dermabrasion: This method involves numbing the tattooed area and rolling a high-speed rotary device with coarse-grained brushes to remove the tattoo ink.
Conclusion
Young individuals who acquire tattoos without knowing what they are should be concerned about how dangerous they are. So, before you get a tattoo, you should know a lot about them. The chemical pigments used in the process can cause infections and allergies that can damage the skin in a way that is hard to fix.
Also, these colors are very bad for your health because they increase cancer risk. Also, tattoos leave marks deep under the skin that are harmful. A doctor can treat these marks, but they could also be bad for your health.