Ink for tattoos can increase the risk of skin cancer and lymphoma

Studies revealed that ink from tattoos are not limited only to the injection site. Ink particles can move to the lymph nodes, where they begin to accumulate.

Researchers from the University of South Denmark, in cooperation with scientists from the University of Helsinki, studied how tattoos could affect health. After analyzing the data of the twins from Denmark, they found that people with tattoos risk of skin cancer and lymphoma are higher than those who do not have tattoos. The peculiarity of the approach of this study, according to scientists, lies in the fact that they compared the pairs of twins, one of which has cancer, while in all the rest the participants had similar genetic and environmental factors.

The results of the study show that ink from tattoos are introduced into the skin and some of them enter the lymph nodes. This can cause prolonged inflammation in the lymph nodes and eventually lead to abnormal cell growth and an increase in cancer risk. Studies also showed that the connection between tattoos and cancer is most pronounced in people with large tattoos, for example, with sketches of the size of more palm. For lymphoma, the risk of disease in a group of people with large tattoos was three times higher than those who do not have tattoos. This indicator takes into account age, tattooing time and duration of observation.