It's All in the Ink! - Part 1 - What is tattoo ink and where does it come from?

In order to safely remove tattoos, we first must know what is in them. In this article we discuss the following questions:

1.  What is tattoo ink?
2. Where does tattoo ink come from?


What is tattoo ink? 

A report compiled by The Council on Health and Disease Prevention ("the Council") titled "Tattoos - Health, Risks and Culture" discusses the makeup and risks associated with impregnating ink into a person's skin.

The Council described tattoo ink as:

"A fluid product that contains one or more pigments and other ingredients in the form of adjuvants, such as binding agents, additives and solvents. The finished tattoo colours may also contain chemical and microbial impurities, which may come from the raw materials and/ or the manufacturing of tattoo colours."

Where does tattoo ink come from?

Tattoo ink is manufactured all over the world, however, the principal manufacturing countries include America, England, China, and other Asian counties. It might surprise you to know that there are no internationally or nationally recognised standards for the use of good manufacturing practices for tattoo inks.

Tattoo inks are under the purview of the Food and Drug Administration in America. Inks are included in the same category as cosmetic products. There is little oversight in relation to the makeup of inks, however, the Food and Drug Administration has provided maximum usage amounts for cinnabar (mercuric sulphide), arsenic and lead as these substances are widely known to affect the health of individuals who have been exposed to them.

The rise of ink from China has also provided the regulatory authorities with a few issues because there is no knowledge about the conditions under which the ink is manufactured. Furthermore, "China ink" as it is known,  oftentimes has little, no or misleading product information.

The question then arises: Is the labelling on tattoo inks to be trusted?

Surprisingly, the Council found and noted, on the whole, there was a lack of labelling on tattoo ink products and when there was labelling it was often incorrect and/ or misleading.

Hogsberg et al studied 58 commonly used tattoo inks from established and credible manufacturers and found the labels on the inks were extremely inadequate. The labels often did not have rudimentary information such as the main pigment used in the ink, what other ingredients were used, manufacture dates and expiry dates. This is a little scary when you consider what is actually found in tattoo ink and the lack of apparent regulation in the industry worldwide.

Conclusion

Not all inks are created equal. Worldwide, the tattoo ink manufacturing industry is largely unregulated or under-regulated. For best results, talk to your tattoo artist and question the pedigree of the ink they intend to use on you. This ink, after all, is going to be impregnated into your skin and it's best to find out before, rather than later, if there are chemicals in the ink you would rather avoid.

Natasha Collings
City Tattoo Removal
www.citytattooremoval.com.au