Once tattoo ink enters the body, it does not stay put. Beneath the skin, tattoo pigments interact with the immune system in ways scientists are only just beginning to understand.
Tattoos are generally considered safe, but growing scientific evidence suggests tattoo inks are not biologically inert. The key question is no longer whether tattoos introduce foreign substances into the body, but how toxic those substances might be and what that means for long-term health.
I want a tattoo but paused my decision after learning that getting a tattoo causes inflammation and that this has a significant chance of causing flare ups in people with psoriasis. I have psoriasis. I also have other health conditions and should avoid inflammatory triggers in general. Sucks. I only want a very small tattoo, though, so we’ll see. Maybe someday.