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Are Tattoos Healthy? While the Iceman may have gotten his tattoos to help with joint pain, that’s not a very common motivation for tattoos these days. But that doesn’t mean the process has zero health implications. A tattooed area of skin will not perspire the way un tattooed skin will. And while less sweating might sound like a good idea, that’s not really true—sweat is your way of regulating body temperature. Fortunately, the body is able to compensate by perspiring more in some places if it is prevented from perspiring in others. Consequently, sweat issues from tattoos are unlikely to be a problem unless you are really covered. However, the safety question has been raised in the context of heavily tattooed professional athletes and others whose jobs involve a lot of physical exertion. Arguably a more pressing question—and, unfortunately, one we don’t have great answers to—is what is the long-term health impact of those pigments inserted into the skin? The truth is, we don’t really know for sure. You might assume that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would regulate the ingredients of inks that are injected into the body, but you’d be wrong. The FDA has jurisdiction over pigments that go on the body—that is, cosmetics—but not in the body. Because the inks are not safety tested, we can’t be completely certain what effects they might have. Not only that it’s not easy to find out the ingredients of the inks in the first place. Certain pigments get their color from heavy metals like lead, mercury, copper, or titanium, but do tattoo dyes contain allergens? What about carcinogens ? What is the impact of having those inks removed later on?

Teen Guides to Health & Wellness: Tattoos, Piercings, and Body Modifications

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