--- title: The Risks of Getting a Tattoo Are Rare, But Real. Here's What to Know description: Tattoos are common and usually harmless, but they have been linked to health issues. Here's how your tattoo could be affecting your health. canonical: https://time.com/5550901/tattoos-health-risks/ author: Jamie Ducharme article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-04-12T15:44:05.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:52:55.080Z article:section: Health og:title: The Risks of Getting a Tattoo Are Rare, But Real. Here's What to Know og:description: Read this before getting inked og:url: https://time.com/5550901/tattoos-health-risks/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt56e0850e334c15c4/698946c67cdbac0ba0d5f340/tattoos-health-risks.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2121 og:image:height: 1193 og:image:alt: Shoulder Tattoo og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Risks of Getting a Tattoo Are Rare, But Real. Here's What to Know twitter:description: Read this before getting inked twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt56e0850e334c15c4/698946c67cdbac0ba0d5f340/tattoos-health-risks.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Risks of Getting a Tattoo Are Rare, But Real. Here's What to Know > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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Health Matters is TIME's daily health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free daily newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ## Video: Are Tattoos Bad For You? [Watch (HLS stream): Are Tattoos Bad For You?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/zNMDv5MZ.m3u8) (1:04)  _Published 2017-04-05. The number of Americans with at least one tattoo has jumped 50% in the past four years_  by [Jamie Ducharme](https://time.com/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. Apr 12, 2019 3:44 PM UTC  Nice full sleeve tattoo on the left shoulder. (photos professionally processed - Photoshop) Nice full sleeve tattoo on the left shoulder. (photos professionally processed - Photoshop)Getty Images  by [Jamie Ducharme](https://time.com/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. Apr 12, 2019 3:44 PM UTC Nearly [three in 10 Americans](https://theharrispoll.com/tattoos-can-take-any-number-of-forms-from-animals-to-quotes-to-cryptic-symbols-and-appear-in-all-sorts-of-spots-on-our-bodies-some-visible-in-everyday-life-others-not-so-much-but-one-thi/) have a tattoo, yet ink is still somewhat stigmatized. Many job seekers and office workers [hide their body art](http://money.com/money/3974956/tattoo-millennials-hiring/) rather than risk disapproval from higher-ups. Research also finds that tattoo stigma is widespread. A [recent study](https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2019-04573-001), published in the journal _Stigma and Health_, found that when hypothetical patients with HIV or lung cancer had tattoos, others were more likely to blame them for their high health care costs compared to tattoo-free folks with the same illnesses. The study provides “initial evidence that tattooed individuals face health disparities,” the study authors write. Tattoos can also come with health risks of their own. Here’s what the research says. ## You can have a bad reaction to tattoo ink It’s normal to experience some swelling, redness and soreness after getting a tattoo, according to the [American Academy of Dermatology](https://www.aad.org/public/skin-hair-nails/skin-care/tattoos/unexpected-skin-reactions) (AAD), and most people won’t notice any health issues beyond these relatively harmless symptoms. Some people, however, develop infections or allergic reactions in the days, months or even years after getting a tattoo, the AAD says. Watch for symptoms that can suggest a larger problem, including worsening pain; a rash, blisters or bumps on the skin; fever; chills; and pus or fluid coming from the tattoo. While dirty equipment or unsafe tattooing practices are sometimes to blame for complications, tainted tattoo ink can also be the culprit. Tattoo inks are [largely unregulated](https://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/ProductsIngredients/Products/ucm108530.htm) in the U.S. Since they’re considered cosmetics, the Food and Drug Administration only steps in when something goes wrong — so it’s hard to tell in advance what’s in them and how safe they are. Over the years, inks tainted by bacteria [have been blamed for](http://time.com/4725634/tattoo-ink-dangerous/) many health ills, including skin reactions and blood-borne diseases. Between 2004 and 2016, the FDA [received reports](https://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm048919.htm) of 363 adverse events associated with tattoos. ## Tattoos have been linked to cancer, but not definitively There’s not enough evidence to make any claims about tattoos causing cancer, but doctors have noted a small number of melanoma skin cancers that appear in tattoos. One [2018 research review](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29171408) found 30 such cases, though it could not prove whether the tattoos actually caused cancer or just happened to overlap with the diseased area. A [2015 case study](https://synapse.koreamed.org/) also detailed the story of a man who was diagnosed with melanoma only in areas of his chest tattoo that were done in red ink. That pattern suggested that his tattoo artist may have struck existing cancer with the red ink needle, then spread it to other parts of his skin while completing the design. A [small 2017 study](http://time.com/4939984/tattoo-ink-health-risks/) also found that titanium dioxide particles from tattoo ink can spread to and accumulate in the lymph nodes. While the study did not make any conclusions about how this accumulation could affect health in the long-term, the research [sparked concerns](https://www.nhs.uk/news/lifestyle-and-exercise/tattoo-ink-particles-can-spread-lymph-nodes/) that tattoo ink could be associated with cancer, since titanium dioxide has been classified as a [possible carcinogen](https://monographs.iarc.fr/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/TR42-4.pdf). Experts have said that ink in the lymph nodes could also make it more difficult to accurately diagnose disease, since it [can mimic the look](http://time.com/4846218/armpit-tattoos-safe-underarm-ink/) of metastatic cancer spreading through the lymph nodes. But overall, more research is needed. ## A few complications have been documented While extremely rare, some people have encountered unusual — and severe — health problems after getting tattooed. In 2017, a model [nearly lost her eye](http://time.com/4962899/sclera-tattoo-eye-dangers/) after developing a serious infection from having ink injected into the white of her eye to change its color — a risky and uncommon procedure. The next year, [doctors in Scotland said](http://time.com/5314886/tattoo-leg-pain-immune-suppression/) a woman’s large leg tattoo may have been to blame for inflammation and debilitating pain in the limb. And plenty of people have had allergic reactions severe enough to require tattoo removal or other treatments, [according to research from 2017](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28288463). These scary situations are rare, and most people who get tattoos won’t encounter health problems stemming from the procedure. 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