Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Jun;204(6):607-610.
doi: 10.1016/j.banm.2020.04.013. Epub 2020 Apr 21.

[Complications of tattoos: Clinical and pathological classification, pathophysiology, particle kinetics]

[Article in French]
M Bagot  1
Affiliations
Review

[Complications of tattoos: Clinical and pathological classification, pathophysiology, particle kinetics]

[Article in French]
M Bagot. Bull Acad Natl Med. 2020 Jun.

Abstract
in English, French

Tattoos are more and more frequent and their surface is increasing. They are also becoming more and more colorful. Complications are frequent and induce a wide variety of clinical and histological pictures. The inks, the composition of which is not always known, contain many pigments which degradation products can lead to chronic allergies. The long-term effects of the presence of carcinogenic products and nanoparticles justify the carrying out of prospective studies. The public should be made aware of these complications and of the difficulties of tattoo removal.

Les tatouages sont de plus en plus fréquents et leur surface est en augmentation. Ils sont également de plus en plus colorés. Les complications sont fréquentes et réalisent des tableaux cliniques et histologiques très variés. Les encres, dont la composition n’est pas toujours connue, contiennent de nombreux pigments dont les produits de dégradation peuvent entraîner des allergies chroniques. Les effets à long terme de la présence de produits carcinogènes et de nanoparticules justifient la réalisation d’études prospectives. Le public devrait être informé de ces complications et des difficultés du détatouage.

Keywords: Allergy; Ink; Nanoparticles; Tattoos.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Laux P., Tralau T., Tentschert J., Blume A. A medical-toxicological view of tattooing. Lancet. 2016;387:395–402. - PubMed
    1. Klügl I., Hiller K.A., Landthaler M., Bäumler W. Incidence of health problems associated with tattooed skin: a nation-wide survey in German-speaking countries. Dermatology. 2010;221:43–50. - PubMed
    1. Hogsberg T., Carlsen K.H., Serup J. High prevalence of minor symptoms in tattoos among a young population tattooed with carbon black and organic pigments. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2013;221:43–50. - PubMed
    1. Kluger N. Self-reported tattoo reactions in a cohort of 448 French tattooists. Int J Dermatol. 2016;55:764–768. - PubMed
    1. Serup J., Kluger N., Bäumler W. Tattooed skin and healths. Curr Probl Dermatol. 2015;48:48–60. [Basel, Karger] - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources