A recent study from Lund University in Sweden has indicated that getting tattoos might increase the risk of developing lymphatic system cancer, also known as lymphoma. This finding emphasizes the necessity for further investigation into this topic. Our understanding of the potential long-term health implications of tattoos is currently limited, with little research in this area. Lund University’s research team has now started to delve into this subject.The research investigated the link between tattoos and lymphoma. “We identified individuals diagnosed with lymphoma through population registers and matched them with a control group of the same sex and age, but without lymphoma. We then had the study participants complete a lifestyle questionnaire to determine if they had tattoos,” explained Christel Nielsen, the lead researcher at Lund University.
The study included a total of 11,905 people, with 2,938 of them being diagnosed with lymphoma between the ages of 20 and 60. Out of those, 1,398 people completed the questionnaire to indicate whether they had tattoos or not.The control group consisted of 4,193 participants, of which 21 percent had tattoos. In the group with lymphoma, 289 individuals (21 percent) had tattoos, while in the control group without lymphoma, 735 individuals (18 percent) had tattoos.
“After considering factors such as smoking and age, we discovered that the risk of developing lymphoma was 21 percent higher among those with tattoos. It’s important to note that lymphoma is a rare disease, and our findings apply to the group as a whole. These results need to be confirmed and further investigated in other studies, and this research is currently ongoing,” states Christel Nielsen.Christel Nielsen’s research group had a hypothesis before the study that the size of a tattoo could increase the risk of lymphoma. They believed that having a full body tattoo might lead to a higher risk of cancer compared to having a small tattoo, such as a butterfly on the shoulder. However, they were surprised to find that the size of the tattooed area did not matter.
According to Nielsen, “We are still unsure of the reasons for this. It is possible that a tattoo, regardless of its size, could cause a low-grade inflammation in the body, which in turn may lead to cancer. The situation is more complicated than we initially thought.”
Most people typically get their first tattoo at aAt a young age, you are exposed to tattoo ink for a considerable part of your life. However, the long-term health effects of tattoos are not fully understood, as research has only begun to investigate this area.
“We know that when tattoo ink is injected into the skin, the body sees it as a foreign substance and activates the immune system. A significant portion of the ink is carried away from the skin to the lymph nodes, where it is deposited,” explains Christel Nielsen.
The research group will now conduct studies to determine if there is a link between tattoos and other forms of health issues.
Cancer is a concern, and researchers are interested in exploring the connection between tattoos and other inflammatory diseases.
Christel Nielsen emphasizes the importance of ensuring the safety of tattoos for those who use them to express their identity. It is also important for individuals to be aware of the potential health impact of tattoos and seek medical advice if they experience symptoms related to their tattoos.
