Medical tattoo advice in Munich

Tattoo inks consist of colour pigments, solvents and binders and other additives. Many bright colours contain organic pigments; black ink is usually made of carbon black. White ink often contains titanium dioxide. Some inks contain traces of metals such as nickel or chromium, which can trigger contact allergies. Since 2022, stricter rules for ingredients of tattoo inks have applied in the European Union. Even so, little is known about the long-term effect of many substances in the body. With sunlight or laser treatment, pigments can break down into other compounds. The consequences of this are being researched.

Only part of the ink stays in the skin. Another part is carried away by the immune system and deposits in nearby lymph nodes. This is usually harmless, but can matter during examinations. Lymph nodes containing pigment can look abnormal on ultrasound, in mammography or during surgery and must be distinguished from other changes. In women this concerns, for example, lymph nodes in the armpit or groin – important for breast cancer screening and aftercare or for operations in the pelvis. Tell your doctors, therefore, that you have tattoos.

After the needle, the skin is a fresh wound. Redness and slight swelling are normal in the first days. Later, allergic reactions can occur, especially with red inks, sometimes only after years. Typical signs are itching, raised areas or bumps limited to one colour. Some reactions get worse with sun. Inflammation, infection or bumps caused by foreign-body reactions also occur. Many of these changes can be treated but belong in medical hands. We look at the area, assess possible allergies and, where needed, recommend additional treatment by a dermatologist.

Prof. Schulte-Uebbing has for years looked at the question of whether components of tattoo inks can affect the immune or hormone system. Some substances, such as certain metals, are discussed as possible endocrine disruptors. Whether health consequences arise from this has not yet been established. He has given talks and published on the subject, including “Toxicology and Immunology of Tattoos” (Med. Woche Baden-Baden medical congress, 2021), “Tattoos: Environmental Medicine, Endocrinological and Immunological Aspects” (DEGUZ congress, Leipzig, 2021) and “Tattoos – Immunological, Endocrinological and Oncological Aspects” (oncology conference, Munich, 2023). We see this work as a contribution to open questions, not as a warning against every tattoo.

In gynaecology, people with tattoos raise their own questions. Prof. Schulte-Uebbing has taken them up with co-authors in several specialist articles, for example “What Gynaecologists Should Know About Tattoos” (Gyn, 2020) and “Tattoos and Possible Gynaecological Sequelae” (JATROS Gynaecology and Obstetrics, 2024). They deal with possible consequences of tattoos for women's health and with what gynaecologists should bear in mind during examinations. During pregnancy and breastfeeding, experts generally advise against new tattoos. Reasons are the risk of infection and the open question of how ingredients affect the child.