Are tattoos regulated by the government for safety?
• Infection. Unsterile tattooing equipment and needles can transmit infectious diseases, such as hepatitis. The risk of infection is the reason the American Association of Blood Banks requires a one-year wait between getting a tattoo and donating blood. • Allergic reactions. Although allergic reactions to tattoo pigments are rare, when they happen they may be particularly troublesome because the pigments can be hard to remove. Occasionally, people may develop an allergic reaction to tattoos they have had for years. • Granulomas. These are nodules that may form around material that the body perceives as foreign, such as particles of tattoo pigment. • Keloid formation. If you are prone to developing keloids — scars that grow beyond normal boundaries — you are at risk of keloid formation from a tattoo. Keloids may form any time you injure or traumatize your skin and may occur more frequently as a consequence of tattoo removal. • MRI complications. There have been reports of people with
