Tattoos Could Be a Hidden Cancer Risk, Study of Twins Finds

Your next tattoo might be riskier than currently assumed, recent research suggests. Scientists found evidence of a potential link between tattoo ink and a higher risk of certain cancers. Researchers at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) conducted the study, published this January in BMC Public Health. They compared twins, finding that those who got tattoos had a significantly higher risk of being diagnosed with skin cancer and lymphoma. More research is needed to understand whether this connection is causal and the reasons behind it if so, the researchers say. Tattoos have become increasingly popular. According to a 2023 Pew survey, one-third of Americans currently sport a tat, with 22% having more than one. Given that, it’s important to know the potential long-term effects of tattoos, and the researchers say that not enough work has been done to understand whether tattoo ink could be carcinogenic. To bridge this gap, they analyzed data from the Danish Twin Tattoo Cohort (DTTC ... Read full article.