Larger The Tattoo, Greater The Danger Of Deadly Cancers, New Study Warns

A shocking new study has claimed that getting a tattoo significantly increases the chances of developing certain types of cancer. Published in the journal BMC Public Health, the study analysed data from over 2,000 twins and compared cancer rates in those who got inked up versus those that did not.

The findings suggest that participants with any form of tattoo were 62 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with cancer than non-tattooed participants. The risk of skin cancer increased by 137 per cent for people having tattoos bigger than the palm of the hand while the risk for lymphoma, a type of blood cancer, soared to 173 per cent.

"Our study suggests an increased hazard of lymphoma and skin cancers among tattooed individuals. We are concerned that tattoo ink interacting with surrounding cells may have severe consequences," the research paper highlighted.

Researchers stated that particles from tattoo ink have been found to accumulate in regional lymph nodes, which might be transported through the bloodstream to other organs.

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'Carcinogenic ink'

The most frequently used tattoo ink was black, which typically contains soot products like carbon black, which is listed as possibly carcinogenic to humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

Another hazardous substance (typically appearing in coloured inks) is azo compounds, as these may release carcinogenic aromatic amines following exposure to sunlight or laser treatment tattoo removal.

"Tattoo ink induces inflammation at the deposit site that may eventually lead to chronic inflammation and increased risk of abnormal cell proliferation, especially skin cancer and lymphoma," the study stated.

"In addition, ink particles with known or suspected carcinogenic properties may gradually increase this risk over time."

The study comes at a time when the number of people getting tattooed has significantly increased. The overall proportion of people with tattoos has gone up to 20-25 per cent in some countries and is nearly twice as high among the younger generations.