Dermatologists We Quote

“For instance, whereas keloids are a strict contraindication for body piercings, they are not a contraindication for professional tattooing.”

“Infections mainly occur due to a lack of such procedures, especially in cases of amateur, home-made tattoos or if performed by unlicensed tattooist.”

“These and other findings indicate that tattoos are unlikely to play a significant role in melanoma development, or worsen prognosis.”

“Tattoo healing is usually complete after 2–3 weeks.”

“From our point of view, there is no strict contraindication to getting a tattoo done; however, there is definitely a certain number of situations in which individuals who want to get a tattoo should first seek medical advice to determine whether or not they can get one and, if so, under which conditions they can get it.”

“The risks of undergoing tattooing during pregnancy or breastfeeding are unclear and rather theoretical. However, because a tattoo can always be performed afterward, we suggest delaying any tattooing procedure until the end of pregnancy/breastfeeding.”

“Temporary withdrawal of the treatment for the tattoo session should be discussed with the physician in charge.”

“Diabetes should be controlled by the time of the tattooing procedure, as assessed by hemoglobin A1c, and the skin area where the tattoo will be applied should be devoid of any skin lesion.”

“Moreover, as the tattoo session may last several hours, the customer should take measures to prevent possible hypoglycemia.”

“A tattoo can always be reconsidered when the treatment is withdrawn or at a maintenance level. In contrast, it remains reasonable to delay/avoid any tattoo when the disease is active and the treatments are currently at high dosages.”

“Any patient with a known congenital heart disease should warn the general practitioner/cardiologist about the procedure, ask for updated data, and discuss possible prophylactic antibiotics.”

“Overall, from our point of view, chronic skin disorders per se are not strict contraindications for tattooing. However, honest information should be given to the customer about his/her risk so that he/she can decide freely to get a tattoo or not.”

“The risk of Köbnerization is higher if the disease is currently active. Therefore, tattooing should be delayed until the skin is clear of any (or any new) lesions and is quiescent.”

“As a general rule, no naevus or any pigmented lesion should be tattooed.”

“There is no rule for how much space should be given, but a minimum of 0.5–1 cm (no less) is necessary, as a nevus can still extend with time.”

“Transient bleeding during tattooing inevitably occurs as the needles puncture the papillary dermis. During the procedure, the tattooist wipes out the suffusion of blood, and the bleeding usually stops rapidly.”

“The European standard NF EN 17169 published in January 2020 recommends various options after a tattoo session, one of which involves the application of a dressing on the tattoo associated with the application of a thin layer of a specific tattoo aftercare ointment 2 or 3 times a day over 2–3 days, after cleaning the tattoo.”

“The recommendations specify continued moisturization of the tattoo by the application of a non‐perfumed moisturizing lotion several times a day for 2 or 3 weeks to avoid the tattoo drying out.”

“Hepatitis B and C and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transferred by tattooing remain a significant risk needing active prevention.”

“Contaminated tattoo ink is an open-window risk vector that can lead to epidemic tattoo infections across national borders due to contaminated bulk production.”

“MRI adverse events of decorative tattoos on trunk and extremities have been sporadically reported, but events are exceptional relative to the popularity of these adornments.”

“We found no cases of cutaneous or other malignancies.”

“Pigments in the skin slowly vanish over time, along with a slow release of minute amounts of chemicals and metabolites, which may actually cause harm, such as allergy.”

“Complaints were often reported in dark tattoos, which absorb more light.”

“Complaints may be acute or subacute and taper out as the tattoo heals.”

“The studies show that tattoo complaints dominated by itching and swelling are remarkably common and affect approximately 1/3 of tattooed individuals, with 1/5 of tattooed individuals having sun-related problems.”

“Sun-induced reactions, especially in dark colours, are reported in one of five tattooed individuals, with swelling and itching being the most frequent complaints.”

“Practitioners treating darker skin types, coloured tattoos, permanent makeup, and younger tattoos reported a higher rate of complications.”

“Around 25% of tattooed persons have regrets at some point, resulting in a likely growing demand for tattoo removal.”

“The gold standard for tattoo removal is Q-switched lasers (nano- or picosecond), making use of selective photothermolysis.”

“The majority of the complications were chronic: 91.9%. Allergic red tattoo reactions and chronic inflammatory black tattoo reactions (CIBTR) accounted for 50.2% and 18.2%, respectively, of all tattoo complications.”

“However, the commonest complication is patient dissatisfaction that compels them to seek removal of the tattoo.”

“In addition, tattoo removal can be a prolonged tedious procedure, particularly with professional tattoos, which are difficult to erase as compared to amateur tattoos.”

“The instruments should be sterile and preferably all disposables should be used to prevent transmissible infections such as Hepatitis B, C and HIV infection and leprosy.”

“Tattoo removal is a very cumbersome procedure, and it may not always be successful, leaving a ghost image, hence the adage, think before you ink holds very much true.”

“Different reactions have different times of onset as few of them appear immediately after the procedure and some may take days to weeks to years to appear.”

“Tattooing should be avoided when the skin is tanned, as when the tan fades, the tattoo will appear darker than the surrounding skin.”

“The tattooing should be carried out by trained personnel, so that the pigment is placed in the proper depth.”