Mar 22, 2025 23:00:00

People with tattoos are at higher risk of cancer

A tattoo is a technique in which the skin is incised with a needle or other object, dyed with dye, and patterns, letters, pictures, etc. are drawn on the skin. In recent years, tattoos have become popular in fashion, but a new study comparing twins has shown that people with tattoos are more likely to develop cancer.

Tattoo ink exposure is associated with lymphoma and skin cancers – a Danish study of twins | BMC Public Health | Full Text
https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-025-21413-3

Tattoos may be linked to an increased risk of cancer
https://www.sdu.dk/en/om-sdu/fakulteterne/sundhedsvidenskab/nyheder-2025/tatoveringer-kan-haenge-sammen-med-oeget-kraeftrisiko

Could a Tattoo Raise Your Risk of Skin Cancer? Twin Studies Suggest a Link. : ScienceAlert
https://www.sciencealert.com/could-a-tattoo-raise-your-risk-of-skin-cancer-twin-studies-suggest-a-link

When tattoos are discussed, the focus is on fashion and social image, and the health effects of tattoos tend to be overlooked. However, it has been suggested that tattoos may have a negative impact on health, as bacteria can enter the skin when tattoos are applied, and tattoo ink contains carcinogenic elements such as lead, nickel, and chromium.

In addition, in August 2024, it was discovered that tattoo ink sold on Amazon contained bacteria that could cause infections, leading to a recall.

Tattoo ink sold on Amazon contains bacteria that could pose health concerns - GIGAZINE

To investigate whether tattoos increase the risk of developing cancer, a team of researchers led by Signe Bedsted Clemmensen, a biostatistician at the University of Southern Denmark, conducted an analysis of twins living in Denmark.

A case-control study of 316 twins found that people with tattoos had a 1.35 times higher risk of lymphoma and a 1.62 times higher risk of skin cancer. The increased risk was also influenced by the size of the tattoo, with people with tattoos larger than the palm of their hand having a 2.73 times higher risk of lymphoma and a 2.37 times higher risk of skin cancer.

Additionally, a cohort study of 2,367 randomly selected twin pairs found that people with tattoos had a 3.9-fold increased risk of skin cancer and a 2.8-fold increased risk of lymphoma.

It is thought that the reason why tattoos increase the risk of developing lymphoma may be that some of the tattoo ink that penetrates the skin is absorbed into the lymph nodes, causing chronic inflammation that leads to abnormal cell proliferation and an increased risk of cancer.

'We think that particles from tattoo ink accumulate in the lymph nodes and the body recognises them as a foreign body,' said Henrik Frederiksen, co-author of the study and clinical professor at the University of Southern Denmark. 'This may mean that the immune system is constantly trying to react to the ink. We don't yet know whether this constant tension weakens lymph nodes or has other health effects.'

The findings of this study are only correlational, not causal, and do not suggest that tattoos cause cancer. For example, lifestyle and social factors related to the decision to get a tattoo may be contributing to an increased cancer risk. However, previous studies have also shown that tattoos are associated with an increased risk of lymphoma, so further research is needed.