Risky tattoo removal
Luise Heine has been an editor at since 2012. The qualified biologist studied in Regensburg and Brisbane (Australia) and gained experience as a journalist in television, in the Ratgeber-Verlag and in a print magazine. In addition to her work at , she also writes for children, for example for the Stuttgarter Kinderzeitung, and has her own breakfast blog, “Kuchen zum Frühstück”.
More posts by Luise Heine All content is checked by medical journalists.Almost every tenth German has a tattoo - but some regret the colorful pictures under their skin. Most opt for laser treatment to get rid of the tattoos. But the procedure is not entirely without health risks, warns the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR).
For the first time, the experts dealt with the fission products that arise during tattoo removal when a so-called ruby laser hits the color particles encapsulated in the skin. They paid particular attention to the copper-containing pigment phthalocyanine blue - the only blue organic tattoo dye currently available in Europe. The problem: Upon contact with the hot laser beam, the dye decomposes into the breakdown products 1,2-benzene dicarbonitrile, benzonitrile and the potentially harmful components benzene and hydrogen cyanide.
Hydrocyanic acid under the skin
The latter in particular worries the experts after experiments in the test tube: "We were able to show for the first time that the laser treatment of the tattoo pigment in aqueous suspension produces substances in concentrations that are high enough to cause cell damage in the skin," says BfR- President Professor Andreas Hensel.
If the amounts of hydrogen cyanide detected by the BfR are transferred to the situation in the human body, concentrations of up to 30 micrograms per milliliter could be released in certain layers of tissue. Experts fear damage to health, especially when very large skin complexes are removed. That is why they want to give more consideration to the fission products in future risk assessments of tattoos and their removal.
Allergies from breakdown products
Because the cleavage products not only remain at the location of the tattoo removal.The destroyed dye gets into the tissue, where the body transports it away with the help of immune cells and via the lymphatic system and thus poisonous degradation products also reach other places in the organism. The immune reaction to the breakdown products of the color pigments may also be problematic. If they overstimulate the immune system, allergic reactions up to allergic shock with massive respiratory and cardiovascular problems could result.
Carcinogenic azo dyes
When it comes to laser removal, a lot depends on the dye used. So far, only the breakdown products of some azo dyes have really been medically researched. There are representatives for whom even the UV radiation from the sun - and even more so laser treatment - is sufficient to generate toxic fission products (amines) that are suspected of promoting cancer. That is why they have been banned under the Tattoo Inks Ordinance since 2009. When sampling tattoo inks, however, azo dyes are repeatedly found.
Traces on the skin
The choice of color also determines how easily the tattoo can be removed at all. Black and dark blue respond best to treatment. When it comes to red, it depends on which dye was used. Skin types that also contain white, yellow, orange or pink have poor chances of removal. Ferrous paints are a nasty surprise, here laser treatment can darken the image, according to the BfR.
Tattoo removal only by a specialist
Overall, the BfR experts recommend that tattoo removals only be carried out by trained staff in appropriate facilities. And: Affected people should in any case be fully informed about the possible risks of tattoo removal.
Source: Press release of the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment from August 13, 2015
