Would it surprise you to know that Inks used in tattoos (including decal tattoos) and permanent makeup are subject to FDA regulation as cosmetics and color additives?
Would it surprise you even more to know that “to date, the FDA has not attempted to regulate the use of these inks and pigments” and “although a number of color additives are approved for use in cosmetics, none are approved for injection into the skin.”
These facts surprised me and I work in an FDA regulated industry.
When I was younger I decided to get a tattoo.
At the time I focused on what the tattoo was going to be of and where on my body I was a going to put it. I never gave much thought to who was going to give it to me or if the ink was FDA approved. I would like to blame my lackadaisical attitude on youth but even then I worked in an FDA regulated industry and should have thought about such things. It turns out that getting a tattoo hurts. A lot. So the elaborate tattoo I had in mind ended up being a small simple one instead.
The actual practice of tattooing, including the use of clean equipment, is regulated by local jurisdictions. This was one thing that I did make sure of when I got my tattoo; that the instruments were wrapped, came straight out of the autoclave, and that the autoclave indicator tape had changed colors. (Maybe not 100% guarantee of cleanliness but pretty close). Over time my tattoo faded. I wanted to know just where the fading ink was going and if there was any potential harm that could be caused by the ink (probably a little bit too late on that research but better late than never…)
It turns out that the FDA could not answer those questions for me. Currently the FDA is investigating tattoo inks to determine such things as: how the inks are metabolized in the body and the safety of the pigments used in tattoo inks. It is very surprising to me that it has taken the FDA this long to start such an investigation.
This investigation may have been prompted by the recent reports of adverse reactions to to some temporary decal type tattoos (the ones most commonly applied on children). Most of the reactions occur with decals made from outside of the US (which are probably the majority of the decals).
If you have had a bad reaction to a tattoo, permanent make-up, or temporary tattoo you can report the reaction to the FDA. Hopefully the more calls and e-mails the FDA receives the more attention and resources they will put toward regulating this industry and answering these questions.
Have you or someone you know had an adverse reaction to a tattoo, make-up, or decal? Please share your experience with us via the comments section. When Lena is not writing for Healthy Bliss she is blogging at Over Coffee – the green edition.
Pictures from inkcraft.com and oriental trading company.com
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I got my first tattoo last year…and guess I'm saying first because I want to get more. Thanks for this info!
Your welcome LuAnn! Glad I could pass along some helpful info. I know what you mean about wanting more…for some reason getting tattoos is kind of addicting.