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No link found between skin cancer, tattoo ink
Tattoo applications do not appear to increase a person’s risk for skin cancer, according to study results.
Researchers reviewed PubMed literature from the past 4 decades and found only 50 documented cases of squamous cell carcinoma, malignant skin melanoma or basal cell carcinoma associated with the millions of tattoo applications made worldwide during that time.
“With … millions of tattooed individuals worldwide, the number of cases remains at the level of background noise,” researchers said. “So far, this association has to be considered as coincidental.”
The documented cases included 23 squamous cell carcinoma and keratoacanthoma (46%), 16 melanoma (32%) and 11 basal cell carcinoma (22%).
Researchers also identified three rare skin malignancies — two cases of dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans and one case of leiomyosarcoma — reported from 1 to 9 years after tattoo application.
An association between tattoo ink and these malignancies was “highly speculative,” the researchers wrote.
Tattoo ink is unregulated worldwide. The FDA has not approved the use of any tattoo inks. Agencies in other countries have recommended that ink be regulated to ensure that potential carcinogens are prohibited during its manufacture.