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INKEDblog takes you beneath the skin of today's tattoo culture. Our mission is to celebrate tattooing as a modern art form which incorporates art, fashion, style, and pop culture. While paying homage and respect to the past, we look to present a contemporary take on the present and future of skin art.
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Tuesday Sep 06, 2005
Allergic Reactions And Tattoo Ink
Dear INKEDblog,I'm ready to get the tattoo I've wanted to get for ages… the only thing holding me back right now is my allergies. I have a severe allergy to shellfish, and have been told to avoid most medical dyes. Apparently, they contain an iodine compound, which triggers the allergic response. Is there anything like that in tattoo dyes which could trigger my "shellfish" allergy?
- A Reader
Dear Reader,
Allergic reactions to tattoo ink are fairly uncommon. Each various ink color contains different ingredients. For example, the black color comes from carbon, the blue from copper, the yellow from cadmium, etc. Allergic reactions to red dyes greatly outweigh allergic reactions to other colors, and black tends to be the most neutral.
The question you need to ask is if there is iodine present in the tattooist’s ink. Tattoo artists will either buy pre-prepared ink, or make their own ink out of the pigment and thinning ingredients (called the carrier) that give ink the proper consistency. Artists thin ink in a variety of ways, generally with ethyl alcohol, purified water, witch hazel, Listerine, propylene glycol, or glycerin. Ask your artist for a complete list of ink ingredients, and then ask your doctor if you are allergic to any of these ingredients.
After you give the list to your doctor and s/he approves it, you might try a pinprick of the color of ink you want in a discrete area and wait a few days. Sometimes ink allergies come on rather slowly. This might make a reaction, if it happened, less severe.
A warning note: do not use a temporary henna tattoo as a substitute. Henna is far more likely to give you an allergic reaction.
Comments
Dose all ink have iodine in it? I have a superman tattoo and the colors that are in it are yellow, red and black. The artist told me that the reason my tattoo didn't heal right is because of the iodine in the ink. I didn't even know that I was alergic to iodine.
Posted by: Tanya Sapp at January 11, 2006 9:16 AM
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Posted by: SeX toys at January 27, 2006 8:44 AM
I have a severe nut, egg and shellfish allergy. I want a black tattoo but was told by the tattoo artist not to get it because I would probably get a reaction but didn't really say more than that. I have the ingredients of the black ink he will use and they are: pigment, aqua, glycerine, alcohol and preservative. Do you think any of these could effect me or should I be ok? Do you suggest a skin test first?
Posted by: Sarah at February 16, 2006 12:25 PM
I got a tattoo 3 weeks ago and everything was going well until 2.5 weeks in, I started getting an allergic reaction on and around the tattoo it's now itchy and bumpy going down my arm getting close to my hand it's travelling up my shoulder to my back,neck and slowly to my face.
I have been to the doctor to get pills and cream but it's not working now i'm trying harder steriods.
How long before the allergy take before it goes away?
Posted by: shelley at February 18, 2006 1:58 AM
Hi, I have an allergic problem, course of my tattoo - it's black written: ~martin amby~ on my right overarm. Can the allergic reaction disappear? How? Because I cannot longer bleach my hair blond, I have dark brown hair.
Posted by: Regine bech at February 27, 2006 10:48 AM
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