Spiritual Forum

Abrasive particles: During tattooing, metal particles can penetrate from the needle deep into the tissue, as a study now reveals. The researchers detected heavy metals such as nickel and chromium in the skin and even in lymph nodes. These metal particles are apparently produced by abrasion from the tattoo needle - especially when ink containing titanium dioxide is used. Possible consequences of this metal contamination could be allergic reactions.

From antlers to real body art - even the ancient Egyptians and the glacier man "Ötzi" appreciated tattoos. And also today tattoos are again in the trend. Between eight and 24 percent of the population in Europe and the USA wear color in their skin. Also in Germany, almost every tenth is tattooed.

Allergy-causing metals

However, the hype about tattoos often forgets that they also mean a risk. The intact skin is injured when the tattoo is stung, thus creating a gateway for bacteria and other pathogens. In addition, over the course of time, even the smallest particles of color can come loose from the tattoos. They then migrate through the organism and accumulate in the lymph nodes - with unclear consequences.

Another side effect of body painting is that it often triggers allergies. Previously, researchers assumed that color pigments such as iron oxide contaminated with heavy metals were mainly responsible for these reactions. But there is another source of these potential allergens, as we can now see: tattoo needles.

Needles contain nickel and chromium

"Although tattoo needles contain large amounts of sensitizing elements such as nickel and chromium, their influence on metal deposition in the skin has not yet been investigated," explain Ines Schreiver of the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) and her colleagues.

To change this, the scientists analyzed skin and lymph node samples from tattooed persons using nanoroentgen fluorescence.

In fact, the results revealed Both in the skin and in the lymph nodes of the tattooed volunteers micro- and nanometer-sized metal particles were found. These particles consisted mainly of a mixture of nickel, chromium, and iron. The latter aroused the researchers' suspicion that these metals could not come from the tattoo pigments, but from the tattoo needle. Typically these needles consist of steel with a proportion of six to eight percent nickel and 15 to 20 percent chromium.

Proof of abrasion
Experiments on pig skin confirmed this suspicion: If the researchers used a tattooing agent with the white pigment titanium dioxide (TiO2), particles containing nickel and chromium were deposited in the skin during the tattooing process. In addition, the needle showed clear signs of abrasion. Because the ink itself did not contain any metals and could, therefore, be excluded as a source, it was clear: "The metal particles are introduced into the skin by pure mechanical stress from the needle," reports the team.

In the same procedure with black carbon-based ink, the effect was not detectable in this form. Schreiver and her colleagues explain this by the fact that TiO2 ink is known to have abrasive properties. Unlike carbon inks, TiO2 inks are able to promote the abrasion of metal particles.

Needle particles in inflamed skin

At least when using ink containing titanium dioxide, heavy metals can, therefore, get from the needle into the skin and from there into the rest of the body. But is there also a connection with allergies? The scientists tested this with samples from a tattooed patient who had developed an allergy to his tattoo and who, according to tests, reacted mainly to nickel.

The result: the inflamed skin contained not only iron oxide pigments, but also abraded steel particles from tattoo needles. "This patient's skin contains two potential sources of nickel: Needle abrasion with high nickel concentrations and iron oxide pigments with rather low nickel content," the researchers report.

Further research needed

"The evidence presented in our study raises the question of whether metal abrasion from tattoo needles - similar to iron oxide pigments - could play a role in allergic reactions to tattoos," summarizes Schreiver's team.

Further investigations would now have to show how exactly abraded needle particles can be evaluated in connection with skin allergies. (Particle and Fibre Toxicology, 2019)