The pigments used by manufacturers aren’t specifically made for use in tattoos, and many are “industrial-grade colors suitable for printers’ ink or automobile paint”
a pervasive lack of evidence of safety problems specifically associated with these pigments
Tattoos work by injecting the ink into the second layer of skin known as the dermis, where the ink remains permanently unless it is removed using laser technology.
“The skin is very active in protecting the body from infection, and white blood cells try to eat up tattoo ink,” “The body treats the ink as a foreign substance.”
FDA found bacterial contamination in unopened bottles of the firm’s grey wash shades. The FDA tested the ink following an outbreak of skin infections in people who had recently got tattoos in Florida. The FDA warned tattoo artists that using the contaminated inks could lead to skin irritation such as redness and swelling, and could spread throughout the body, resulting in swollen lymph nodes and even sepsis, a life threatening blood infection.
“These infections may be severe and may require extensive treatment with antibiotics, hospitalization or surgery,”
The most common tattoo-related complaints he sees in his practice are skin irritations, usually caused by red ink, which typically contains mercury, a known allergen.
“Just the red area of the tattoo would have swollen, tender and really itchy reactions,” he said, adding that these adverse health effects can occur months and even years after a person gets the tattoo.
6% of tattooed New Yorkers suffered a serious reaction like swelling and severe itching that lasted for more than four months. Almost half of these reactions were to red ink, while one-third of the cases were linked to black ink.