Clean Needles Aren't the Only Tattoo Concern

Besides getting stuck with a Hello Kitty tattoo for life, there's another downside to getting skin ink: Microscopic particles can taint your lymph nodes. 

A new study found that after a person gets a tat, nano traces of the ink containing preservatives and contaminants work their way into the person's nodes, whose job is to cleanse the body of toxins, AFP reports. Researchers write in Scientific Reports that colored tattoo ink, a mix of organic and inorganic pigments, can contain nickel, chromium, manganese, and cobalt.

 After black, made from iron oxides and carbon, the most common ink in tattoos is titanium dioxide, a white pigment found in sunscreen that can cause irritation when used in skin art. Co-author Hiram Castillo-Michel of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in France says when getting a tattoo, clean needles aren't the only concern.

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