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Detox from Tattoo Ink

Messages
39
Tattoo inks, as is well known, contain a lot of different heavy metals. Black ink (which I have on my body) also often contain large amounts of Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH's). These substances are all toxic to the body and can cause cancer among other things.

After getting a tattoo, about 30% of the ink will immediately travel to the lymph nodes where it will stay for who knows how long. Researchers have examined dead bodies of tattooed people and found that their lymph nodes where completely black from the tattoos they had on their bodies. One person with a large blue tattoo also had his liver colored blue.

I was wondering about the best ways to clear and detox your body from tattoo ink. Would IV Chelation help? Or can things like Activated Charcoal do any good? Would that help clean the lymph nodes, liver, lungs etc or only the gastrointestinal tract?
 

notmyself

Senior Member
Messages
364
i have tattos aswell..i trully belive the ink will be eliminated in couple of days from the body..and definatelly will not make the liver blue !!
 

veganmua

Senior Member
Messages
145
Location
London, UK
Yeah, I love tattoos, but that study put me off. I do wonder if there is a higher incidence of certain ailments among heavily tattooed individuals. It's not clear if the ink accumulation is having measurable affects. Are there any other studies out there?Apparently there are safer inks, such as Eternal Ink. I've still downsized my planned tattoo considerably!
 

IreneF

Senior Member
Messages
1,552
Location
San Francisco
There are several kinds of tattoo ink. It's not all created equal. You'd want to know more about the kind of ink that was used.

After the tattoo is healed the ink stays in your skin. Fading is quite gradual. The only thing that can remove it is a laser, and I'm not sure whether that might make the ink more dangerous. The laser breaks down the particles of ink so they are smaller, which means your body will dispose of them; but that could mean the ink particles travel to lymph nodes or the liver.

I haven't read any info on detoxing that indicates it can remove hydrocarbons, but then nothing I've read about detoxing makes any sense, physiologically. Chelation is good for removing heavy metals and has to do with the shape and charge of the molecules, so maybe if the ink contained metals it might help, but I believe it would have to be in your bloodstream and not solid tissues.

Lots of things that we do without thinking pose a risk. Going out in the sun. Being in a room with someone who's smoking. Sitting around a bonfire. Driving. And so on. So it's probably best not to worry about it and just not get any more tattoos.
 

alex3619

Senior Member
Messages
13,810
Location
Logan, Queensland, Australia
I generally would not recommend tattoos on anyone with an immune problem. However its not worth worrying about existing tattoos.

For the record though, I have found several ladies with tattoos to be very attractive. Tattoos can also speak to individuality. They are in no way wrong or inappropriate. Its just the medical risks that concern me with someone who is likely to have immune issues.
 

notmyself

Senior Member
Messages
364
If the ink were eliminated then the tatoos would disappear.
i mean the ink in the blood ..it remains in the skin and that's it..i doubt a tatto person will always have ink in the blood ,or like the original post in the lymph nodes or other organs..a lot of people will be very sick after tattoing ,and i never heard of it..
 

alex3619

Senior Member
Messages
13,810
Location
Logan, Queensland, Australia
Free ink in the blood will be cleared. Typically tattoo ink is cleared from the blood by absorption by immune cells. Even when they die it will just be absorbed by other immune cells. Its not clear what percentage is actually cleared from the body. Now there are undoubtedly some fractions of ink that are properly cleared, but the persistent chemicals, depending on the ink, persist because immune cells absorb and hold them. Now I cannot swear that is true of all inks these days, but this was a topic in immunology I studied some 16 years ago, and part of an immunology lecture I had at university.

Immune cells cluster in the liver, gut, skin, and lymph nodes. This includes different kinds of resident macrophages.
 

alex3619

Senior Member
Messages
13,810
Location
Logan, Queensland, Australia
i doubt a tatto person will always have ink in the blood ,or like the original post in the lymph nodes or other organs..a lot of people will be very sick after tattoing ,and i never heard of it..
There have been no studies about tattoos and ME that I ever heard of. We simply don't know. That is why I write of risk, not harm. It might be harmless. It might not.
 
Messages
39