Look around you, and chances are you are one of the few people who don’t have one form of tattoo or the other. From the professional to motor park tout and everyone caught in-between, tattoo seems to have become a language of self-expression, while the shapes and sizes seem to be getting bolder by the day.
By the way, people love to display their tattoos, whether on the chest, in-between the breasts or on the lowest region of the back sitting just atop the groove between the buttocks. For those who have their tattoos on the lower base of the backbone (atop the bums), its one reason to sag!
People tattoo for all sorts of reasons. Some women tattoo the name of their lovers atop a breast or around the nipple; others may have an arrow with a spear piercing through drawn on the same body area. Some people tattoo to celebrate events, while others do it to preserve the memory of a beloved departed one.
The arms, shoulders, back of the necks (name it) are all areas of the body that can host a tattoo.
Among the youth, their swagger doesn’t seem complete until a tattoo is added to the show. Some go as far as having it on the face and in areas of the body they may be unable to hide when the occasion demands — such as when seeking employment in blue chip companies where such things are considered off the mark.
Tattoos in the pack
These days, when you unwrap certain items such as sweets, chewing gums and other edibles favoured by children and youth, they sometimes come with press-on labels. While many people would be afraid to get a permanent tattoo for many reasons, many people don’t consider press-on tattoo dangerous because even if you don’t wash it off, it will peel off on its own after a few days.
However, experts are saying press-on tattoos may not be safe after all. According to the United States-based Food and Drug Administration, temporary tattoos can cause allergic reactions.
The FDA scientists note that temporary tattoos typically last from three days to several weeks, depending on the product used for colouring and the condition of the skin. And unlike permanent tattoos which are injected into the skin, temporary tattoos marketed as “henna” are applied to the skin’s surface.
However, just because a tattoo is temporary doesn’t mean that it is risk-free. Some consumers report reactions that may be severe and outlast the temporary tattoos themselves, the scientists warn.
The researchers say problems that could arise from simply pressing that label on your skin include redness, blisters, raised red weeping lesions, loss of pigmentation, increased sensitivity to sunlight, and even permanent scarring.
They also note that some reactions have led people to seek medical care, including visits to hospital emergency rooms.
“Reactions may occur immediately after a person gets a temporary tattoo, or even up to two or three weeks later,” they aver.
Dangerous inks
The main issue has to do with the active ingredient — the henna. Historically, henna is a reddish-brown colouring made from a flowering plant that grows in tropical and subtropical regions. When ground into a paste, it could be used to dye skin, hair, fingernails, leather, silk and wool. During festive occasions, it is usually used in skin decoration and could be washed off at will because it does not involve the use of needles as is the case with permanent tattoo.
When used in its natural form, scientists say, the henna is absolutely safe. However, when produced in commercial quantity and mixed with certain cosmetic ingredients, the safety of the henna — now aptly called black henna — cannot be guaranteed.
The FDA scientists note that sometimes, what is called henna is actually hair dye which may contain p-phenylenediamine, PPD, an ingredient that can cause dangerous skin reactions in some people
Indeed, the FDA warns, “By law, PPD is not permitted in cosmetics intended to be applied to the skin.”
Writing about tattoo ink, Dr. Anne Marie Helmenstine says, “Tattoo inks may contain any chemical, including those known to be mutagenic (capable of causing mutations), teratogenic (capable of causing birth defects), and carcinogenic (capable of causing cancer), or involved in other biochemical reactions in the body that might take decades to appear.”
She adds, “There are other factors that may exponentially increase the serious health risks associated with tattooing. When alcohol is used as part of the carrier base in tattoo ink or to disinfect the skin before application of the tattoo, it increases the skin’s permeability, helping to transport more chemicals into the bloodstream.
“Alcohol also works synergistically with mutagens, teratogens and carcinogens to make them even more harmful, increasing the chance that they may cause mutation or disease, both at the site of the tattoo and systemically.”
She concludes that skin infections, psoriasis, dermatitis and other chronic skin conditions, and tumours (both benign and malignant) have all been associated with tattoos. You may want to avoid this.
Worse still, experts warn, henna dye that contains PPD may make you allergic to sulfonamides — a class of drugs that were first successfully used in the treatment of bacterial infections in the 1930s, and which are still being used in antibiotics and a host of other medications such as diuretics (used in treating high blood pressure) and anticonvulsants (used in the treatment of epileptic seizures).
Obviously, temporary tattoos are no tea party and they can leave you with permanent damage!
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