Tattoo ink

Different tattoo colors

A tattoo ink is a special ink for the artificial pigmentation of the skin . Mostly, pre-mixed colors are used by tattoo artists, less often their own mixtures and usually applied to the skin with a tattoo machine. In terms of volume, the colors consist of about half of pigments , the other half of solvents or dispersants (mostly water or alcohol , but also oils and glycerine ) as well as thickeners and preservatives . The pigments are based on organic or inorganic chemistry. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals are counted among the substances that are hazardous to health . Today, azo pigments often replace the metal compounds. One to two milligrams of pigments are introduced per cm² of skin .

Medical aspects

Tattoo inks can endanger health (including infections, allergies , mutagenic effects). Furthermore, fission products arise during laser removal, the long-term effects of which are not yet precisely known; It is assumed that some of the split color pigments accumulate in the liver , spleen and lymph nodes .

The legal requirements for the manufacture of tattoo inks include:

• Resolution ResAP (2003) 2 on tattoos and permanent make-up of June 19, 2003, Council of Europe
• Resolution ResAP (2008) 1 on requirements and criteria for the safety of tattoos and permanent make-up of February 20, 2008, Council of Europe
• Tattoo Inks Ordinance of November 13, 2008, Germany
• Ordinance on objects for human contact dated November 23, 2005, Switzerland
• Ordinance of the Federal Minister of Economics and Labor on the rules for piercing and tattooing by cosmetics (beauty care) traders dated February 14, 2003, Austria

literature

• Paola Piccinini, Laura Contor, Ivana Bianchi, Chiara Senaldi, Sazan Pakalin: Safety of tattoos and permanent make-up. Joint Research Center , 2016, ISBN 978-92-79-58783-2 , doi: 10.2788 / 011817 .
• Tattoo Services - A Guide to Good Practice. Working document, European Committee for Standardization ( digitized version )
• Sarah Everts: What chemicals are in your tattoo? In: Chemical & Engineering News , 94 (33), 2016, pp. 24-26.
• M. Dirks: Making innovative tattoo ink products with improved safety: possible and impossible ingredients in practical usage. In: Current problems in dermatology. Volume 48, 2015, pp. 118-127, doi : 10.1159 / 000369236 , PMID 25833633 (review).
• Paul Dobleman - Tattoo Colors. In: Tattoo Kulture Magazine , Issue No. 2 of May 20, 2014.

Web links

Commons : Tattoo Inks  - Collection of images, videos, and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Ilka Lehnen-Beyel: Colorful for life. December 7, 2011
2. ↑ Reinhold Gassner: The dangers of tattoo inks for health. 2013
3. ↑ Long-known health risk from tattoos: mercury, heavy metals and toxins that are deposited in the body. 2015 (with references)
4. ↑ Saying goodbye to "ass antlers" can be expensive. In: Die Welt, November 13, 2010
5. ↑ Resolution ResAP (2003) 2 on tattoos and permanent make-up of June 19, 2003
6. ↑ Resolution ResAP (2008) 1 on requirements and criteria for the safety of tattoos and permanent make-up of February 20, 2008
7. ↑ Tattoo Inks Ordinance of November 13, 2008
8. ^ Ordinance on objects for human contact of November 23, 2005
9. ↑ Ordinance of the Federal Minister of Economics and Labor on the rules for piercing and tattooing by cosmetics (beauty care) traders of February 14, 2003

This article is about a health issue. It is not used for self-diagnosis and does not replace a diagnosis by a doctor. Please note the information on health issues !