tattoo ingredients and safety

[Tesseracts]

Can anyone shed some light into what is used to make the pigment in tattoos? I heard cadmium is used for yellow. I have a yellow tattoo and I know cadmium is a poison. I've heard of allergic reactions to tattoos, but I have never heard of anyone getting heavy metal poisoning from tattoos. Is that a concern?

From what I understand, the pigment becomes trapped in between your first and second layer of skin and fibers grow around it, so I don't have to worry much about it entering the blood stream. Is that true?

If I call up the ink company is there any chance they will tell me what is in the ink?

[tatB]

Proprietary information. Very little chance of getting any specific information.

[Gregor]

Unicorn tears and the souls of dead cats

[Tesseracts]

So I can't even know what pigment is used? I guess the only way to be completely safe then is to only get black tattoos, because that's just carbon. Red on the other hand might be mercury sulfite.

Has anyone heard of any cases of somebody getting metal poisoning from tattoos?

[Gregor]

So I can't even know what pigment is used? I guess the only way to be completely safe then is to only get black tattoos, because that's just carbon. Red on the other hand might be mercury sulfite.

Has anyone heard of any cases of somebody getting metal poisoning from tattoos?

Fucksake dont get tattooed then if your shitting it from the ingredients

[Tesseracts]

Fucksake dont get tattooed then if your shitting it from the ingredients

I already have one so it's too late for that.

[Gregor]

So why care ?

[TrixieFaux]

Has anyone heard of any cases of somebody getting metal poisoning from tattoos?

No! And people have been getting tattooed for a loooong time. I wouldn't worry.

[Tesseracts]

So why care ?

If I get sick I want to know if there is a possibility I have cadmium poisoning.

[irezumi]

It's basically laboratory grade dirt; no, ink companies won't tell you what's in it if you can even get them on the phone; and as far as cadmium poisoning, not gonna happen don't worry. You will not get poisoned from a tattoo.

[Gregor]

you are mad

[tatB]

you are mad

Probably caused by the mercury. Thats why the Mad Hatter was crazy.

[RoryQ]

I'm feeling a little ill these days.., it could definitely be yellow poisoning, thank you for bringing this to my attention.

Might call in sick tomorrow and do some more research on the internet.

[Gregor]

And all those dudes in china with the mercury lakes .

[Killercook76]

You will be ok... who is telling you these lies? Maybe they are trying to scare you so you will not get anymore tattoos? haha!!

[MadeIndelible]

Plenty of people are concerned about tattoo ink ingredients. The government for one. My ex worked for the FDA, and was about to test a supply of tattoo ink, from an unnamed company, for heavy metals before we broke up. Now, I don't think that there's any danger in tattoo ink, especially good tattoo ink, which is used by most good tattooers, but suffice to say that you're not an idiot for being concerned about what's going into your body; however, it is a little irrational to assume that the yellow ink that's already in your leg wouldn't have caused a reaction already.

[Killercook76]

You will be ok... who is telling you these lies? Maybe they are trying to scare you so you will not get anymore tattoos? haha!!

Seriously.. Most tattoo artist I know use inks from companies that have good track records. Say ink X is used on 10k people a year and no reaction, allergies or whatever occurs there is very little chance that whatever you are concerned about will effect you.

[Matthew Thomas]

Being sick does not automatically mean that heavy metal poisoning is a possibility. There are specific signs and symptoms associated with heavy metal poisoning, which I'm going to suggest you research. It is understandable to be concerned with the ingredients of tattoo inks, but it's a bit of a stretch to be worried about such an extreme reaction. I have heard that red inks contain mercury, rust, and freeze-dried pigs blood, but I'm not concerned with any major adverse reactions.

[Fala]

I'm pretty sure RoryQ was joking @Matthew Thomas.

There have been several "fear, fear, fear" articles/blog posts posted on the internet re: safety of tattoo inks causing all sorts of crazy disease (ie depression, adrenal fatigue, etc.) and I call BS on them. Seriously, I'm a granola-eating hippie herbalist and I call them BS. The only thing you would ever remotely have to think about is an allergic response to the ink as a "sensitive person" who has reactions to pretty much everything (ie autoimmune disease), in my opinion. AND if you are that worried, why are you getting tattooed? You went to a top-notch artist, relax!

The FDA has nothing to do with tattoo inks, so the blends of ingredients are the companies' proprietary information (as mentioned) so there's no way that you are going to find out what's in them.

[MadeIndelible]

@Fala I don't fault you for this, but it seems you skipped my post. lol

[suburbanxcore]

I don't say this to be mean, but this is your second post posting about something potentially being wrong with your tattoo. I know it's your first one and it can be nerve-wracking the first time, but perhaps a little research beforehand might have been helpful. Be patient, relax, and maybe look around before assuming something is horribly wrong.

[Fala]

I did miss it! C'est la vie. (I'm sure I'm being stubborn but...) I still think it is BS with the fear-mongering re: top-notch artists (such as the one Tesseracts went to) and them using high quality inks vs inks that will make you sick. And, I still say that the articles/blog posts are BS when most folks they are talking about are getting a handful of smaller tattoos vs being more heavily covered. I'd be more concerned about what is being consumed (eaten, drank, breathed) on a daily basis vs what is being tattooed on you on an assumable not regular basis at this point. Obviously it is a huge issue, and knowing what you are putting into your body (much like food and water) is extremely important. I'm not trying to discount the importance of this information - makes me think of the French government's step-in re: color tattoo inks recently and how there should be more of a push for full-disclosure.

You can get vegan inks with, supposedly, the full ingredients list.

http://www.health.govt.nz/system/files/documents/publications/survey-selected-samples-tattoo-inks-presence-of-heavy-metals-july13_0.pdf

[Tesseracts]

I don't say this to be mean, but this is your second post posting about something potentially being wrong with your tattoo. I know it's your first one and it can be nerve-wracking the first time, but perhaps a little research beforehand might have been helpful. Be patient, relax, and maybe look around before assuming something is horribly wrong.

I don't think there is anything wrong with my tattoo and I don't think I'm poisoned. This has nothing to do with me being relaxed, I just wanted to know if anybody knows what is in the ink.

[polliwog]

It sounds like you've been reading the Wikipedia article on tattoo ink, among other things. I looked at the 2 sources cited regarding the ingredients in ink & they basically say that very little is understood about how to measure "exposure" to ingredients when someone has a tattoo, specifically with regards to the lead content in tattoos. It sounds like it might potentially make a small difference over the long term but couldn't lead to anything like poisoning.

I'm personally more concerned about hormones in the food I'm eating and stuff like that.

[9Years]

Wouldn't it be in the tattooer's best interest to use high-quality, non-dangerous pigments? Seems like a bunch of clients with skin issues or long term health problems isn't so great for business or your reputation...

One more reason to go to a professional.