What in the world could tattoos have in common with MRIs, epidurals and flu shots? More than you might think.
Serious blood-borne diseases contracted via contaminated equipment from an infected person are some of the better-known risks associated with tattoos. The Mayo Clinic reports these include hepatitis C, hepatitis B, tetanus, tuberculosis and HIV – the virus that causes AIDS. Some of these diseases are difficult to treat and others are fatal. Actress Pamela Anderson is an example of a famous person getting hepatitis from a tattoo. Unfortunately, there are many other not so famous people who have also gotten one of these dangerous infections.
The future may be one of the last things on the mind of those desiring a stylish look with a tattoo, but most likely they aren’t aware of some of the other lesser-known problems that might occur with the permanent injection of dyes. Plus, what is fashionable one day may be out the next, and people are stuck with difficult to remove tattoos.
Allergic reactions, especially to red dyes, can occur even years later. Excessive scarring known as keloids is another possible problem. The potential for skin infections is always a factor since the needle for tattooed artwork pierces the skin repeatedly, thus breaking the body’s primary defense barrier. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has seen a connection between groups of potentially serious antibiotic-resistant skin infections to tattoo artists who don’t follow proper infection prevention procedures. Some of these dangerous skin infections can be caused by the painful flesh-eating bacteria (necrotizing fasciitis) or can lead to blood stream infections (septicemia) and even pneumonia.
But why could an MRI or flu shot be a problem for those with “body artwork”? One of the ingredients of some of the dyes used for tattoos is metal. Older red dyes may contain mercury. According to dermatologist Dr. Greg Storwick, besides seeing allergic reactions to tattoo ink, when another source of mercury enters the body from a flu shot, this may trigger the body to react. Storwick saw one patient’s tattoo swelled up for two months after a flu shot. “In the flu vaccine is thimerosal, a mercury preservative, and it sensitized her to the red pigment in her tattoo, which is also mercury based,” he said.
Although rare, occasionally the metal may cause burning or swelling in the area of the tattoo from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The reaction between the magnet and metal-based inks may cause burning, itching and redness, according to the FDA, which reports cases of these types of problems. And with an MRI of the eye, the pigments in permanent makeup eyeliner may distort the quality of the image.
What about epidurals? This is another area of potential problems with tattoos. With the popularity of tattoos on women’s lower backs, these often large and ornate tattoos cover the specific sites where epidural needles are usually inserted. The most common reason for an epidural is for pain control during childbirth, but they also are used sometimes during certain surgical procedures when general anesthesia is not advised.
Back in 2002, a couple of anesthesiologists from Vancouver, Canada, wrote about a small study they did with three patients in labor who had lumbar tattoos. The doctors wondered if this was a potentially problematic situation because theoretically the epidural needle could pull down and deposit the ink near the spinal cord. Even though the study was small and they did not have problems with these particular patients because they inserted the needle where there wasn’t ink, their article in the Canadian Journal of Anesthesia caused many other anesthesiologists to change their practices.
“There are anesthesiologists who will say we don’t know what the risk is and I’m declining to do the epidural for you,” says anesthesiologist Dr. Mark Kotash. “Nerves are very delicate,” Kotash says. “They get damaged very easily, and the presence of dye in the epidural space could potentially damage nerves and cause paralysis,”
The author of the Canadian article, Dr. Joanne Douglas, gives advice to other anesthesiologists to reduce the chance of problems of epidurals with lumbar tattoos. And to be on the safe side, she says women should know while there is no concrete evidence of complications, the potential for problems remain.
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Floyd and Mary Beth Brown are both best-selling writers. They comment on issues of politics, culture and economics in weekly columns and on their blog, www.2minuteview.com.
