Scientists behind the study admitted they were ‘concerned’ about their own findings
Scientists involved in a recent study have expressed their ‘concern’ over the findings which suggest that long-term exposure to tattoo ink could heighten the risk of cancer. This comes at a time when it is estimated that one in three young adults have some form of permanent tattoo.
The research utilised the Danish Twin Tattoo cohort, studying 2,600 twins where one sibling had tattoos and the other did not. The results showed that those with tattoos were 1.62 times more likely to develop skin cancer than their un-inked sibling.
Interestingly, the study also found that the size of the tattoo played a role in the level of risk. Tattoos larger than the size of a palm significantly increased the risk of skin cancer and lymphoma.
Those with larger tattoos were found to be three times more likely to develop lymphoma. However, the risk of cancer appeared to remain relatively stable across different colours of tattoo ink.
Published in BMC Public Health, the scientists behind the Danish study issued a warning: “We are concerned that tattoo ink interacting with surrounding cells may have severe consequences.” They also called for further studies into this area to “benefit public health”.
Tattoo ink is deposited under the skin’s surface and fades over time as it is gradually broken down by the body, which perceives it as a foreign object. The ink then enters the bloodstream and can accumulate in nearby lymph nodes, which is where potential problems arise.
There’s a suspicion that the immune system is persistently attempting to target the ink, potentially impacting the lymph nodes. This could result in a dysfunction of the lymphatic system, which may rapidly develop into cancer.
To get a better understanding of these findings, University of Southern Denmark researchers plan to investigate how ink particles affect the function of lymph nodes at a molecular level next. This could hopefully determine if certain types of lymphoma have a stronger connection to tattoos than others.
One of the lead researchers, and assistant professor at the university, Signe Bedsted Clemmensen said: “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.”
