By Naveen Athrappully
Contributing Writer
People with tattoos face a 29% higher risk of contracting an aggressive type of skin cancer than those without tattoos, according to a peer-reviewed study published on Nov. 24 in the European Journal of Epidemiology.
The study authors looked at the effect of tattoos on cutaneous melanoma, a cancer that originates in cells that produce melanin, which is responsible for giving color to skin, eyes, and hair.
CM is the most aggressive form of skin cancer that can spread to other parts of the body if not treated early, according to nonprofit group Melanoma Research Alliance. While CM can develop on any part of the body, it typically forms in areas of the skin exposed to the sun.
Researchers looked at data of 2,880 Swedish people diagnosed with cutaneous melanoma aged between 20 and 60 and identified a 29% increased risk of overall cutaneous melanoma among tattooed individuals.
The tattoo size was found to be unrelated to CM risk. As such, larger tattoos were not observed to result in a higher risk of cutaneous melanoma.
“Coloured tattoos alone or in combination with black or grey in the tattoo seemed to be associated with a slightly higher risk of cutaneous melanoma,” the study authors said.
“We did not find that highly UV-exposed tattooed individuals had a higher risk of cutaneous melanoma than tattooed individuals with lower UV exposure. Thus, our data suggests that UV-accelerated pigment breakdown does not increase the risk of cutaneous melanoma beyond the risk associated with tattoo exposure per se.”
Individuals with tattoos for 10 to 15 years were found to have the highest risk of developing CM.
A review of case reports from 2012 concluded the link between tattoos and skin cancer was potentially coincidental. Case studies suffer from bias and cannot be used to evaluate associations between exposures and outcomes, researchers said.
“Thus, our results provide the first insight into a possible association between tattoos and skin cancer using an adequate methodological approach,” they wrote.
As for CM subtypes, tattooed individuals were found to have a roughly 40% higher risk of contracting two types of CM — invasive and in-situ cutaneous melanomas — than people without tattoos.
When tattoo ink is injected into the human skin, it is perceived as a foreign substance by the body, Lund University researchers, who conducted the study, said in a Nov. 25 statement.
As such, the immune system gets activated, with the ink pigments getting encapsulated by immune cells. These pigments then get transported to the lymph nodes.
“Azo pigments are the most common organic colourants in tattoo ink,” Emelie Rietz Liljedahl, associate researcher in toxicology at Lund University, said.
“This could be a potential risk because we already know that these can break down into harmful chemicals that may cause cancer. This particularly applies for exposure to UV radiation from the sun, sun beds or laser treatments.”
The study was funded by Lund University, Swedish Research Council for Health, Magnus Bergvall Foundation, and the Crafoord Foundation. Two researchers declared competing interests, including receiving funds from government entities and private foundations. One of them also received money from pharma companies.
In a December 2024 report on tattoo safety, the Food and Drug Administration advised people to “think before you ink.”
“Over the years, the FDA has received reports of people developing infections from contaminated tattoo inks, as well as allergic reactions to the inks themselves,” the agency said at the time.
“And, scientists at the FDA and elsewhere have found that even unopened and sealed tattoo inks can harbor bacteria and other microorganisms that can cause infections.”
About 30% of Americans and 40% of people aged between 18 and 34 years are estimated to have at least one tattoo, the FDA said.
