Is Tattoo Harmful For Your Skin?

Tattoos remain popular and people get them for a multitude of reasons. But before you finally make the decision to "ink" your skin, it’s worth understanding all the potential.

Getting a quality tattooisn’t always easy, though they are much safer than decades past.

The actual process itself consists of a tattoo needle literally injuring your skin to design the art. The needle also inserts small amounts of color pigments. If your skin heals correctly, you’re left with beautiful, permanent skin art.

Skin infection

While tattooing is an art, the actual process is technically one that causes injury to your skin. This includes both the upper (epidermal) and middle (dermal) layers of skin.

Your skin needs to recover after you get new ink, so your tattoo artist will give you tips on how to prevent infection.

If the infection spreads, you can have other symptoms, such as a fever. In severe cases, infections can be chronic (ongoing).

Allergic reactions

Some people might develop anallergic reactionsafter getting a tattoo. This is usually related to the ink — especially if it contains plastic — and not the needling process itself. Red, yellow, blue, and green pigments tend to be the most allergenic.

Symptoms of an allergic reaction from tattoos can include a red rash, hives, andsevere itchiness. Swelling can occur too. These effects can occur years after you get the tattoo.

Keloid scarring

Tattoos have the potential to scar. This is especially true if your tattoo doesn’t heal properly, or if you have an infection or allergic reaction. Eventually, you can also develop keloid scars — these consist of raised bumps that contain old scar tissue.

Note- The pictures used in the article are google images.