Q: Are tattoos bad for your liver? A: Tattoo ink may get accumulated in the liver and kidneys over a prolonged period of time but as such does not directly affect the liver. Indirectly, tattoos may cause severe liver damage due to hepatitis infection.
If a person has an HCV infection, it is possible for them to receive a tattoo. However, they should seek out an artist with experience tattooing people with HCV. Informing the artist of the infection allows them to follow extra safeguarding procedures to ensure no complications occur.
If you over treat that, you risk overloading the lymphatic system and as a result overloading the liver and kidneys. If your tattoo was done with really dodgy ink, this can then either move you into blood poisoning or infection.
However, evidence does show that some tattoo inks contain carcinogens (cancer-causing substances) – chemicals that have been classified as known or possible carcinogens by the WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer.
Tattoos breach the skin, which means that skin infections and other complications are possible, including: Allergic reactions. Tattoo dyes — especially red, green, yellow and blue dyes — can cause allergic skin reactions, such as an itchy rash at the tattoo site. This can occur even years after you get the tattoo.
The side effect is that the lymph nodes take on the same color as your tattoo. There is also some evidence to suggest that tattoo ink particles can travel through the blood and become lodged in the liver.
Some studies have found that heavily-inked individuals actually have more antibodies circulating in the blood than those without tattoos. It's led some to theorize that a tattoo could have a “priming” effect, acting as a long-term, low-level workout for the immune system.
The short answer is yes, tattoo ink does enter your bloodstream. However, it's important to note that the ink doesn't just stay in your blood vessels. When the needle punctures your epidermis and deposits the ink into the dermis (the second layer of your skin), this triggers your body's immune system.
When it comes to cancer, black ink can be especially dangerous because it contains a very high level of benzo(a)pyrene. Benzo(a)pyrene is currently listed as a carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
However, tattoo complications can occur, such as allergic tattoo reactions, infections, and manifestations of autoimmune dermatoses.
Load up on detoxifying foods like leafy greens, antioxidant herbs and spices, vitamin C foods, garlic and onions, flax, chia seeds and lots of water. Avoid foods made with additives, potential food allergens and non-organic foods. Use supplements that help to break down heavy metals to promote expulsion from the body.
Some people, however, develop infections or allergic reactions in the days, months or even years after getting a tattoo, the AAD says. Watch for symptoms that can suggest a larger problem, including worsening pain; a rash, blisters or bumps on the skin; fever; chills; and pus or fluid coming from the tattoo.
Exposure to heavy metals in bad ink, as well as toxins in colorants, can create a burden for the kidneys and the liver and contribute to cognitive issues like fatigue or brain fog, according to Brooke Schneller, doctor of clinical nutrition.
If you have a medical problem such as heart disease, allergies, diabetes, skin problems like eczema or psoriasis, a weak immune system, or a bleeding problem, talk to your doctor before getting a tattoo. Also, if you get keloids (an overgrowth of scar tissue) you probably should not get a tattoo.
He and his colleagues have found that individuals who frequently get tattoos appear to have higher levels of certain immune molecules, including antibodies, in their blood than people who rarely get inked (at least for a brief time).
Black remains safest. Blue and green inks with copper phthalocyanine pigments are safe too. Some parlous mix their own inks; it's generally safest to use branded inks that list their ingredients, says Dr Amit Karkhanis, laser and cosmetic physician.
Red pigment often causes the most skin reactions and is considered the most dangerous because it contains cadmium, mercury or iron oxide. Choose a red ink with naphthol instead.
They also wondered if any restrictions for imaging might apply to tattooed patients. What they found might surprise you. The researchers found that the risk of experiencing tattoo-related side effects from MRI is very small. This means people with tattoos can safely undergo MRI without worry.
A tattoo is acceptable if the tattoo was applied by a state-regulated entity using sterile needles and ink that is not reused. Cosmetic tattoos (including microblading of eyebrows only) applied in a licensed establishment in a regulated state using sterile needles and ink that is not reused is acceptable.
Thus, the needle penetrates the skin through the epidermis and into the papillary layer of the dermis, where the ink particles accumulate.
If the skin is broken, you run the risk of seepage, which is caustic to surrounding skin tissue. Stress. Tattooing puts a lot of added stress on your lymphatic system, as 90% of the dye goes into the lymph nodes and stays there.
The constant needle pricks can be physically draining for the body. As a result, the body can go into “fight or flight” mode and release adrenaline, which can cause feelings of fatigue and exhaustion. This adrenaline rush is a natural response to stress and pain, and it can have a significant impact on the body.
Macrophages rush to the site of the tattoo to clean up the foreign ink particles. Some of these cells make it back to the liver to get rid of the ink waste while others hang around the site of the tattoo. Since these cells can't dissolve the ink pigment, the ink remains visible through the skin.
Tatoos do not affect blood tests. However, blood tests might show some inflammation or signs of infections.