Study reveals the scary impacts tattoos can have on your health

Are they worth it?

A new study may have eager tattoo fanatics thinking twice about booking in for their next appointment. Here’s what the research uncovered.

They say tattoos can be addictive – that your first taste of ink will quickly leave you planning your next. But like other addictive vices, a new study suggests overindulging in ink could lead to some nasty health concerns.

Whether you’re a staunch tattoo devotee (among the ranks of Machine Gun Kelly and David Beckham) or have a few small designs concealed by clothing, there’s no denying the symbolic significance a person’s body art can hold. 

Subsequently, as most people will tell you (except for those who drunkenly stumbled into a parlour at 3 AM on a dare), deciding to permanently brand an image or phrase onto your body is no small feat. But choosing where to place your new butterfly tattoo is about to get a little more complicated, thanks to new information that has come to light about the safety of common tattoo ink brands. 

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Details of the study

The research, conducted by the Department of Chemistry at Birmingham University, has unearthed several potential health risks associated with popular tattoo ink brands in the United States, sparking global concern about the long-term ramifications of ink chemicals within the body. 

Led by John Swierk and published in the journal Analytical Chemistry, the study analysed 54 popular ink brands used for commercial tattoos in the US. Of the inks examined, 45 were found to contain the presence of harmful additives and pigments.

Most noticeably, traces of polyethylene glycol were found in some samples, a concoction commonly used to treat constipation. Common side effects of this drug range from nausea and stomach cramps to diarrhoea and rectal haemorrhage. 

Another concerning ingredient found in several ink samples was 2-phenoxyethanol, a chemical that in high doses has been linked to skin, liver and lung irritation, and kidney and nerve damage. 

Traces of concerning chemicals have been found in popular inks. Image: iStock

“We’re hoping the manufacturers take this as an opportunity to reevaluate their processes, and that artists and clients take this as an opportunity to push for better labelling and manufacturing,” Swierk writes in the study’s report.

According to Swierk, the FDA (the United States Food and Drug Administration) is yet to establish updated regulations in response to the findings of studies like this but is expected to reevaluate the messaging guidelines companies will need to abide by. 

The presence of such concerning (and undisclosed) ingredients is especially alarming given the growing prevalence of tattoos around the world. A survey conducted in 2023 by Pew Research Centre found up to 32 per cent of American adults have at least one tattoo, with 22 per cent reporting having more than one.

In general, tattoos can often render the skin prone to infection, with some individuals experiencing an allergic reaction to certain types of dyes and inks. Excessive or highly pigmented tattoos have also been found to interfere with MRI imaging, disrupting the quality of images. 

Originally published as Study reveals the scary impacts tattoos can have on your health