90% of tattoo ink contains chemicals that can cause organ damage
pubs.acs.org
pubs.acs.org
- This isn't 90% "of tattoo ink", it's 90% of the inks they tested. Most tattoo ink is black, which their tests indicate is accurately labeled (edit: black ink is mostly just the element carbon so this isn't surprising).
- This kind of problem is why experienced tattooists will test colors on peoples' skin to look for reactions.
- Tattooing, though under-studied, depends on the ink largely sitting under the skin but generally being stable. While it's totally possible that decay over time could expose your organs to the contents of the ink, when it works well the ink is just sitting there so risks should be low.
- Obviously this should be corrected and is a real indictment of the medical community's position that they won't study tattooing as a procedure we could improve (the general position on tattooing is "don't do it").
Sounds like the Catholic stance on sex outside of marriage. Abstention basically. Just because they wish people don't do it, it doesn't mean the government has no responsibility for safety. It's not illegal after all.
I'm glad here in Spain they take this kind of stuff more seriously. For example if you are promiscuous you can receive free STD checks every 3 months. Even though it's a mostly Catholic country :)
I'll ask about ink check programs too.
If there's anything I regret it's not doing it earlier.
I just don't have any images or artwork that I have any sort of connection to that would make me want to paste it onto my body.
Of course if you take something sleazy, run-of-the-mill or the name of a girlfriend you might regret it. But most of the pieces I have are artful and one of a kind, made just for me.
Also, as far as regret goes, if you let an artist who does art you like do something for you, you won't regret engaging them. You can get something on your thigh, for example, that is rarely visible.
If you're really serious about getting a tattoo, here are some things you should think about:
- Find a style you like. Japanese traditional, American traditonal, American neo traditional, highly realistic etc. Different artists specialize in different areas and often go all over the place. It's worth reading the history on american traditional, as a starting point - it has some very direct lineage from the japanese style, which itself is so bright and clear because it was developed before tattoo guns existed.
- Instagram is currently "the" place for artists to show off their work. Also, go on google maps and look at shops' websites in your local city to get links to their artists' instas. This is very much an artisan process.
- Create a list of tattoos you like, and then find an artist who does work you like in the style you like.
- Tell them you're new, that you're open to ideas, and bring a list of art (both stuff they've done and others in a similar style) that you liked. Try not to go in with a very specific idea - rather, be open. For various reasons, most of the better artists won't do walk-ins and have calendars booked weeks or months out. Schedule a consult.
I personally like more funky, clear, bright stuff.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CoiQyavO0ES/
Exactly. If it did, the tattoo would fade, after all. Perhaps some makes it through during the process but if it's done well there isn't much contact with the bloodstream.
> Also, as far as regret goes, if you let an artist who does art you like do something for you, you won't regret engaging them. You can get something on your thigh, for example, that is rarely visible.
Exactly, for me that regret worked the opposite way. I had one put on my shoulder and it's usually not visible at work (I work in IT so I always wear a T-shirt). I regret this now :) Next time I'll get one on my lower arm so it's always visible.
I used to live in Ireland where they had this weird prejudice about tattoos but where I live now in Spain it's super common. More than 1/3rd of people have visible tattoos (and I mean visible on the street!). Even in a high-class restaurant we had a waitress who was covered in (beautiful) tattoos. It's so normal here, it's amazing <3
To me, my tattoos are both art and a sort of snapshot of myself in time. They reflect the things I was interested in, what my mind was preoccupied with. I look at my tattoos kind of like a personal photo album; it's a spread of me over time, and each tattoo brings back memories of the city I was in when I got them, the people I was friends with, the things I was doing.
Also, sample size of 1, but I routinely "forget" that I have tattoos, despite several being on my forearms. My brain just processes them as part of my arm rather than a marking on my arm, like freckles. I am currently weirdly conscious of my tattoos lol.
You can always talk to an artist, they can work with you on issues like this. You could always get something small somewhere discreet. I've got a tattoo a little bigger than a quarter on my shoulder blade that I completely forget I have. Like I am unaware of my arm tattoos but know I have them; I completely forget about the shoulder one.
You do you, though, and make the best choice for yourself!
Seems unlisted additives is incredibly common in almost every industry in the United States.
Who wants lead in the cinnamon, turmeric, and everything else that everyone is eating? Surely, even the richest and most influential people would be incentivized, if not for themselves, then for their kids to have a supply chain that is checked for contamination.
Or how long it’s taking for leaded propeller jet fuel to be outlawed.
If you asked them to have their kids or grandkids live in a lead paint home and play with lead toys, they would surely say no. But lead in spices that gets ingested daily is not a concern for them? And it's not like testing for them would make a dent in the budget.
And surely a significant majority take vitamins or supplements at some point. Who wouldn't want their vitamin to be what the bottle says?
All tattoo ink sold and used in Europe is regulated as per ResAP 2008: https://rm.coe.int/16805d3dc4
"Nanoparticles from tattoos circulate inside the body"
https://phys.org/news/2017-09-nanoparticles-tattoos-circulat...
Nature also didn't design us to wear socks, but that seems mostly harmless. I just always wondered about putting ink permanently in skin.
People get exotic glow in the dark tattoo ink. That seems nuts to me.
It's very convenient that my aesthetic preference is for blackwork!
It is not what the study says. What the study says is "Out of 54 inks, 45 contained unlisted additives and/or pigments".
I mean, 100% of tattoos cause damage to the body, people know that. The problem is that people would like to know if it their particular case, because of an allergy, it may be worse than usual. And for that, knowing what's in the ink is important, and that's what the article is about.
Just two give two recent example from where I live.
1) My city allowed a developer to build townhomes. Probably even got grants for doing it. As long as I remember the land was a transformer station. With maybe 20+ transformers there. Notorious for containing cancerous pcb chemicals. Now families with little children will be living there.
2) A COVID vaccine injured young mother was just offered assisted suicide by Doctors in Ontario. The doctors that told her it was totally safe and effective, are not Samurai and end their life in shame. They'll go home in their BMW and enjoy pizza.
Her condition is long COVID. Not an adverse vaccine reaction.
[0] https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-12851137/woman-lo...
As if the continual rising prevalence of overweight and obese bodies (which I understand is not necessarily the fault of the individual) wasn't bad enough, people actually pay money to endure pain, risk exposure to bloodborne illnesses, and now apparently also to organ-damaging chemicals, all so they can permanently disfigure themselves to look uglier and trashier.
It's really not that hard to not say anything, and to not be a judgemental twat.
That's the thing, tastes change. Peoples' preferences, values, goals aren't static, which is why permanently disfiguring yourself (especially with some trite saying or cliched symbol), besides being trashy, just shows you have poor judgment and poor impulse control. People with tattoos ought to be stigmatized for that reason alone, never mind the ugliness and trashiness of it.
Someone having an opinion on a differing taste as you put it, or a criticism of a behavior they think is counterproductive or unhealthy, shouldn't elicit a hostile response. It is about as trashy as your view of their view, in my view.