An increasing (and somewhat alarming)
number of young people all over the world are jumping on the body modification band wagon by getting a tattoo. It became popular in the
nineties and has been growing in popularity ever since. It is now
estimated that around one in three Americans under the age of 25 have
at least one tattoo. Now I'm not anti-tattoo I don't have one, but I
don't mind other people having them. What does concern me is the lack
of research people do before running to the local tattoo shop and
getting a permanent body modification.
Pretty much everyone who hasn't been
living under a rock for the last few years knows that they should use
a reputable tattoo artist with high standards of cleanliness.
However, for most people that is where the research and safety
precautions end. What most people do not realise, is what exactly is
being injected under their skin. Tattoos have their origins in tribal
cultures where the dyes were made from natural ingredients such as
plants, but modern day tattoo inks are composed of unknown
combinations of metallic salts such as oxides, sulphates and
selenides, and even plastics. A recent report by the European
Commission revealed that up to 40% of the organic colorants used in
tattoos are not approved for use on skin and around 20% of inks
tested contained carcinogenics. Some chemicals were actually intended
only for printing. In America, the FDA regulates cosmetics worn on
the skin, like make up or sun screen, but they do not regulate the
potentially toxic ink we have injected under it during tattooing. How
does that make any sense?
There are many reported cases of
allergic reactions to tattoo inks and there is also the added risk of
the unknown effects of metal salts being injected into the body.
Cases of psoriasis, dermatitis and even tumors have been linked to
tattooing. I guess the bottom line is that unless you are fully aware
of and prepared to deal with the worst case scenario, leave body modification alone.
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