Many people decide to make themselves a very different tattoo. Regardless of their causes, consumers should be aware of the risks that are inherent in tattooing to make a decision based on this information.
What are the inherent risks of tattooing?
The following complications arise primarily as a result of tattooing:
- Infection: Non-sterile equipment and tattooing needles can transmit infectious diseases, for example, hepatitis. The risk of infection was the reason that the American Blood Bank Association requires a one-year break between tattooing and donating blood. Make sure that all equipment for tattooing is clean and sterilized before use. Even if the needles are sterile or never used, it is necessary to understand that in some cases the equipment to which the needle is attached can not be completely sterilized due to its design. In addition, the person who is being tattooed must necessarily handle the tattooing site during the first week or so, after the pigment was injected.
- Problems with removal: Despite the advanced laser technology, tattoo removal is a painful process, usually involving several procedures, and quite expensive. Complete removal without scar formation may not be possible.
- Allergic reactions: Although allergic reactions to tattoo pigments occur rarely, when they occur, it is especially troublesome, since the pigment is very difficult to remove. Sometimes people develop an allergic reaction to a tattoo after a few years.
- Granulomas: These are nodules that can form around a material that is regarded by the body as alien, for example, particles of a tattoo pigment.
- Keloid formation: If you are prone to the formation of keloids – scars that grow beyond the normal boundaries – you are at risk of keloids due to tattooing. Keloids can occur at any time if you injure or injure the skin.
- Complications of MRI: There were cases when people with tattoos or permanent make-up, had swelling or burning in the places where the tattoo was applied during the passage of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This is rare and does not have visible long-term results. Also, people with tattoos reported that tattoo pigments affected the eyesight. This, in general, occurs in people with permanent eye make-up while passing the MRI of the eyes. Mascara can lead to the same result. The difference is that mascara can easily be washed off. The cause of these complications is unclear. There are theories that they arise because of the interaction of the metallic components of certain pigments. However, the risk of avoiding MRI, if prescribed by your doctor, may be much greater than the risk of complications due to the interaction between MRI and tattoo pigments or permanent make-up. Instead of avoiding MRI, people who have tattoos or permanent make-up should tell the radiologist or laboratory technician about this fact in order to take the necessary precautions, avoid complications and provide better results.
The most common problem: dissatisfaction
The most common problem that occurs after tattooing is the desire to remove it. Removing tattoos and permanent make-up can be very difficult.
The level of skill among people who make tattoos is very different. You can apply for help to a person who has already done a tattoo, and ask yourself how much you want to risk and constantly see someone’s mistake on yourself.
Although tattoos can be liked first, they sometimes fade. Also, if the master has injected the pigment too deep under the skin, he can migrate beyond the original place, which will lead to a blurry image.
Another reason for discontent is that the human body changes over time, as does fashion. Permanent makeup can look good after the application, and maybe later, it ceases to match the color and tone of the changing skin or the contours of the body. People who plan to undergo cosmetic surgery are warned that the look of their permanent make-up can be distorted. Tattoos, which, at first, looked fashionable, can become outdated and embarrassing. And to change a tattoo or a permanent make-up is more difficult, than to change the opinion.
Methods of removal:
Methods for removing tattoos include laser removal, abrasion, excision and surgical removal. Some people try to disguise the tattoo with a new one. Each approach has drawbacks:
Laser removal can brighten many tattoos, some are easier and more efficient than others. In general, it is necessary to go through several sessions for weeks or months, and such a procedure can be expensive. Some people have hypopigmentation – lightening of the natural color of the skin – in the area of laser exposure. Laser removal can also lead to the fact that some tattoo pigments will change the tint to a less preferred one. Unfortunately, it is difficult to know what pigments are contained in your tattoo or permanent make-up, but it will become even more difficult, as the variety of ink for tattooing has increased. Inks are often sold only under the name of the brand, and not in terms of chemical composition. Since pigments are sold to tattoo parlors, and not directly to consumers, manufacturers do not need to list the ingredients on the package. Moreover, since producers can consider their pigments “copyrighted,” neither the master nor the consumer will ever know this information. It has been reported that people develop allergic reactions after passing through the laser procedure to remove tattoos, because the laser has released allergenic substances from the tattoo ink into the body.
Dermabrasion consists in the erasing of the skin layer with a wire brush or diamond cutter (type of emery circle). After this process, a scar may remain.
Salabrasion, which uses a salt solution to remove pigment, is sometimes used in combination with dermabrasion, but is not so common.
Scarification involves removing the tattoo with an acid solution and creating a scar instead.
Surgical removal sometimes involves the use of tissue expanders (balloons injected under the skin, to cut out the tattoo and produce fewer scars). Large tattoos may require a re-operation for complete removal.
Masking a tattoo means introducing a new pigment to form a new pattern or to cover the tattoo with a pigment that is similar to the skin color. Introduced pigments look unnatural, as they lack the natural transparency of the skin.