Double Infectious risk for fans of tattoos and permanent makeup. More than a third of commercially available inks contain bacteria two types: not only the aerobic onesthose that require oxygen to proliferate, but also anaerobes which replicate without it and which may be present in still sealed colour bottles. Launch the alert a study published in ‘Applied and Environmental Microbiology’journal of the American Society of Microbiology. A timely warning, as the body painting trend spreads and it is almost difficult to find skin without a tattoo: “The growing popularity of tattoos in recent years has coincided with an increase in complications or adverse reactions associated” with this practice, warns Seong-Jae (Peter) Kim, a microbiologist at the Food and Drug Administration, corresponding author of the study.
Study: Inks Contaminated Even in Sealed Bottles
A work described as “particularly noteworthy”, as “the first to investigate the presence of anaerobic bacteria in commercial tattoo inks”. The scientists tested 75 tattoo inks from 14 manufacturers. By mixing 1-2 grams of colored solution with specific culture media, and changing the incubation context (with or without oxygen), they looked for both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, finding them: “About 35% of tattoo or permanent makeup inks sold in the US were contaminated with bacteria”, the researchers report. “Both types, aerobic and anaerobic, can contaminate inks”, Kim highlights, who specifies: “There was no clear connection between the label declaring the sterility of the product and the actual absence of bacterial contamination”.
“Our results,” the author notes, “reveal that unopened and unsealed tattoo inks can harbor anaerobic bacteria, known to thrive in low-oxygen environments such as the dermal layer of the skin, alongside aerobic bacteria. This suggests that contaminated inks could be a source of infection from both types of bacteria. The findings highlight the importance of monitoring these products for both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, including potentially pathogenic microorganisms.”
Kim recalls that “microbial infections represent only one aspect of the complications” that are risked with tattoos or permanent makeup, ‘engraved’ on the skin. Also “immunological complications, such as inflammatory responses and allergic hypersensitivity, as well as toxicity reactions, constitute a significant component” of the possible ‘side effects’. “In light of the results of our study, we want to emphasize the importance of continuous monitoring of these products to ensure the microbial safety of tattoo inks”, insists the FDA expert, working in the Division of Microbiology of the National Center for Toxicological Research in Jefferson, Arkansas.
Kim and colleagues will continue to work in two directions. On the one hand, they intend to develop more efficient microbial detection techniques to be applied to tattoo inks, making the analysis process faster, more accurate, and less labor-intensive. They will also conduct systematic research to further their understanding of microbial contamination in tattoo and permanent makeup inks. This will include studying the presence, co-presence, and diversity of microbial contaminants, which is an essential starting point for preventing them.
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