The strange side effect of tattoos
A NEW study suggests that tattoos, especially big ones, may come with a bizarre side effect which could cause health problems.
TATTOOS — especially big ones — are all the rage with celebrities like David Beckham and Harry Styles covered in body art.
But before you go under the needle and ink your body, it might be worth heeding this warning.
Getting a tattoo could come with a bizarre side effect — it can change the way you sweat, a new study suggests.
The New York Post reports American experts found people with tattooed skin produce less sweat compared to people with non-tattooed skin.
And their sweat contained nearly twice as much sodium.
Sweating helps us control our body temperature.
So not sweating enough can lead to dangerous consequences, causing you to overheat and suffer heat stroke — which can be deadly in extreme cases.
And if you are losing more sodium than you normally would you are likely to become dehydrated quicker, and suffer cramps, which can hamper your best efforts in the gym.
The researchers recruited 10 healthy men with a tattoo on one side of their upper body to determine how their tattooed skin sweated differently from their non-tattooed skin.
They used chemical patches that caused them to sweat, to measure perspiration.
The patches were then swapped for new patches, this time to absorb the sweat so it could be tested.
The researchers, from Alma College in Michigan, believe the difference could be down to permanent changes in the skin that happen after getting inked.
When you get a tattoo, a tiny needle filled with dye pierces the epidermis, or outer layer of the skin, up to 3000 times a minute.
This article appeared in the New York Post