Tattoos are well known to cause skin problems and the number of reported adverse reactions after tattooing has increased. Illegally imported tattoo ink is unrestrained and can contain unknown ingredients and contamination thereby posing a serious health hazard. We present a case illustrating the risk of pronounced phototoxic allergic reaction and other severe complications after using home kit ...

520 college students from a public university in the southwest were questioned to examine correlations between having a tattoo and the presence of tattoos among their family and friends. Tattoos among both friends and family were positively correlated with respondents' having a tattoo. The magnitude of friends' influence was about double the influence of family.

MADAM, Amalgam tattoo is the most common exogenous pigmentation of the oral mucosa; surprisingly, there are no reports of similar lesions on the skin. It is caused by traumatic implantation of amalgam fragments into the oral mucosa following dental treatment, particularly when amalgam fillings are removed with high-speed instruments. Amalgam tattoo occurs mostly in the gingiva and alveolar muco...

Nowadays, about 12% of the European and 20% of the US population are tattooed. Rising concerns regarding consumer safety, led to legal restrictions on tattoo inks and permanent make-up (PMU) inks. Restrictions also include bans on certain hazardous colourants. Both ink types use organic pigments for colour-giving, plus inorganic pigments for white and black and colour tones. Pigments are only s...

OBJECTIVE To compare the results of a 1996 study of tattoo possession and motivation for tattoo removal with those of a 2006 study, in light of today's current strong mainstream tattoo procurement and societal support within the young adult population. DESIGN Descriptive, exploratory study. SETTING Four dermatology clinics in Arizona, Colorado, Massachusetts, and Texas. PARTICIPANTS The 2...

A 32 year-old healthy woman presented with a 4 month history of pruritus and nodules in a 2-year-old professionally placed tattoo in the lower limb. On examination of the lower right leg she had nodules limited to the red areas of the tattoo, and not in the other colors (Figure 1). Epicutaneous patch testing revealed a positive reaction to nickel, which was considered as non-causative, because ...