Red is the most risky ink color, and other health issues from tattoos.
The reds are perhaps the worst, because they also contain the highly toxic iron oxide and cadmium. * If you really want to get a permanent tattoo, stick with the basics. Black remains safest. Blue and green inks with copper phthalocyanine pigments are safe too.
White Ink Tattoos
Tattoos using white ink will hurt more than other types of tattoos. This is down to the fact that for the tattoo to show on the skin, and it to be fully saturated, the tattoo artist will need to go over the same area again and again.
Dr. Kunin reports that black might be the safest permanent tattoo ink; it is often derived from a substance called carbon black and rarely causes any kind of sensitivity issues.
Red: Red pigment often causes the most skin reactions and is considered the most dangerous because it contains cadmium, mercury or iron oxide.
They often contain metals such as copper and nickel. Brown inks made out of iron oxides also contain nickel. Nickel can cause an allergic reaction and is prohibited in cosmetics.
When it comes to cancer, black ink can be especially dangerous because it contains a very high level of benzo(a)pyrene. Benzo(a)pyrene is currently listed as a carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
Black ink is a particular concern because it contains a high level of benzo(a)pyrene, which is listed as a carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), according to the American Cancer Society. Allergic Reactions Some people can have allergic reactions to the dyes used in tattoos.
Non-permanent blue inks are considered the safest ink, since blue requires the least amount of pigment. There is a large consensus on the safety of blue and black fountain pen inks by large manufacturers, such as Pelikan, Parker, Waterman, and Sheaffer.
They're removing pigments Blue 15:3 and Green 7, which will destroy most artists' palettes. These two pigments make up almost 70% of tattoo and permanent makeup inks. It'll affect blues and greens, reds, purples, and yellows as well as skin tones and components for a white tattoo.
Yellow ink is associated with sun sensitivity, which can be irritating because you have to cover up your tat to protect it. But the photosensitivity typically fades after a few years, Aguh said. A reaction to red ink, however, is most common.
Most commonly, either blue or black ink is used for signing documents. While both are acceptable, many people consider blue the optimal choice. The reasoning behind this is that the color will stand out among the walls of black text on the document while still being dark enough to read.
White ink tends to be thicker. Extra effort is required to get the ink in, and to top it off, a lining needle is used which also generally hurts more. White ink takes the tattoo to whole other level, and really makes the tattoo pop.
While no other colour is as hard as white, a few of them can take more time. These include yellow, orange, red and fluorescent colours. Since some of these take too much time, many people opt for fading rather than complete removal.
Tattoo Allergic Reaction. It is possible to have reactions to the inks or the metals in the needles used in tattoos, causing swelling and even damage to the skin tissue itself. Allergies to the red dyes are most common. This person is having an allergic reaction to the red used in the flames around the skull tattoo.
Many professionals in the tattoo industry class Fusion Ink as being the best, brightest ink available today. These inks are known to be luminous and offer intensity. They are also classed as being amongst the most easily applied pigments available.
In 2019, the FDA issued a safety alert about certain tattoo inks contaminated with microorganisms. In June 2023, the FDA issued a draft guidance to help tattoo ink manufacturers and distributors recognize situations in which tattoo ink may become contaminated with microorganisms, such as bacteria or mold.
They also wondered if any restrictions for imaging might apply to tattooed patients. What they found might surprise you. The researchers found that the risk of experiencing tattoo-related side effects from MRI is very small. This means people with tattoos can safely undergo MRI without worry.
The legal concentration levels of 4,000 chemicals typically found in inks - such as isopropanol alcohol - has been lowered, while 25 pigments (including variations of red, orange, yellow…) have been completely banned due to “a potential risk to human health”.
"Chemicals used in tattoo and PMU inks are classified as industrial chemicals in Australia. Their introduction is subject to the same requirements as any other industrial chemical under the Industrial Chemicals (Notification and Assessment) Act 1989."
Blackout tattoos have associated health risks, including health risks associated with tattooing in general. Because they cover a large area of skin, blackout tattoos tend to cause increased swelling, as well as risk of keloid scarring and infection.
The UV tattoo ink used today is as risky as that of any tattoo — maybe slightly more so. Older UV tattoos used phosphorus in the ink, which can be carcinogenic in high doses. And even without phosphorus, the ink runs the risk of adverse effects.
Q: Are tattoos bad for your liver? A: Tattoo ink may get accumulated in the liver and kidneys over a prolonged period of time but as such does not directly affect the liver. Indirectly, tattoos may cause severe liver damage due to hepatitis infection.