Dermatologist issues cancer alert in frank tattoo message

A dermatologist has illuminated one overlooked concern of tattoos that could interfere with a cancer diagnosis. Dr Ana Molina of the Jiménez Díaz Foundation took to social media to share her perspective, urging people to be cautious of one thing.

"What they can do is interfere with cancer diagnosis, especially skin cancer. Imagine a blackout tattoo," she said in a recent post. "Do you know them? A whole black or negative tattoo, where the drawing is the part they do not tattoo—the white part, isn't it?

"Well, if you get melanoma there, I won't be able to diagnose it. In other words, you can't see anything; it's a sea of black ink. The same if you get a tattoo on top of moles, so we always recommend that tattoo artists leave some distance between the tattoo and your moles.

"Additionally, we know that your body reabsorbs all that ink. It's true that when I've removed lymph nodes from patients with melanoma to study them, I've seen black blotches in the lymph node and thought, 'Ah, melanoma metastasis?'. But then you study it, and, thank goodness, we have very advanced techniques now, then you see that it's not melanoma - it's just ink."

Dr Molina's thoughts come amidst a wave research outlining other concerning trends between tattoos and cancer. This includes a study published last month by the which delved into the potential long-term implications of ink injection.

By assessing data from thousands of twins, scientists claimed that people with tattoos were more likely to have skin and lymphoma cancers compared to those without ink. The authors wrote: "For skin cancer and lymphoma, increased hazards were found for tattoos larger than the palm of a hand.

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"[Our] study suggests an increased hazard of lymphoma and skin cancers among tattooed individuals, demonstrated through two designs: a twin cohort and a case-cotwin study.

"We are concerned that tattoo ink interacting with surrounding cells may have severe consequences. Studies that pinpoint the etiological pathway of tattoo ink-induced carcinogenesis are recommended to benefit public health."

Lymph nodes, despite their small size, play a significant role in the body's immune system, aiding in the fight against infections and other potentially harmful substances. It is thought by experts that when tattoo ink penetrates the skin, it could lead to 'chronic inflammation' of the lymph nodes.

This factor could potentially trigger abnormal cell growth, thereby increasing the risk of cancer over time. "We can see that ink particles accumulate in the lymph nodes, and we suspect that the body perceives them as foreign substances," said Professor Henrik Frederiksen of .

The university's explanation adds: "This may mean that the immune system is constantly trying to respond to the ink, and we do not yet know whether this persistent strain could weaken the function of the lymph nodes or have other health consequences.

"Studying this link is challenging because cancer can take years to develop. This means that exposure in youth may not lead to illness until decades later, making it difficult to measure a direct effect."

As the researchers indicate, there remains a significant degree of uncertainty surrounding these trends and the precise processes involved. The scientists now aim to delve into the effects of ink particles at a 'molecular level' and explore the connection between specific tattoo types and cancer.

Professor Signe Bedsted Clemmensen added: "In our study, we do not see a clear link between cancer occurrence and specific ink colours, but this does not mean that colour is irrelevant.

"We know from other studies that ink can contain potentially harmful substances, and for example, red ink more often causes allergic reactions. This is an area we would like to explore further. We want to gain a better understanding of the biological mechanisms—what happens in the lymph nodes when they are exposed to ink particles over decades? This can help us assess whether there is a real health risk and what we might do to reduce it."