English for trippers: Taboo tattoo

When I grew up basically only some prostitutes, sailors, and soldiers were wearing tattoos in Germany. Otherwise, only some far away ethnic minorities were known to practice tattoos like the Māoris of New Zealand.

How times have changed! Now some people can not have enough tattoos covering their whole body. Tons of adult actors are wearing and showing them off.

In 2023, I blogged here about Mormons in Utah loosening up on tattoos.

These Early Iron Age tattoos from southern Siberia show the work of a master and apprentice

Amazing stuff! When will archaeologist discover the first ancient tattoo parlor? 😊

"... The Pazyryk were horse-riding nomads who roamed the steppes of Eurasia 2500 years ago. Their mummies, most of whom were first excavated in the 1940s, were elaborately tattooed with animal designs. To gain insight into how these ancient tattoo artists practiced their craft, researchers took multiple infrared photos of tattoos on a Pazyryk woman’s arms (seen in purple above) and stitched them together digitally to get high-resolution images. ...

they argue that one design, flowing expertly around the contours of the mummy’s right arm, appears more refined and detailed—including the stripes of two tigers and the spots of a leopard ... —than the others, suggesting it was applied by an experienced tattooer. Her left arm bears a simpler design, suggesting it was done by someone more novice. ..."

From the abstract:

"The tattoos of the Pazyryk ice mummies are of paramount importance for the archaeology of Iron Age Siberia and are often discussed from a broad stylistic and symbolic perspective. However, deeper investigations into this cultural practice were hindered by the inaccessibility of quality data.

Here, the authors use high-resolution, near-infrared data in conjunction with experimental evidence to re-examine the tools and techniques employed in Early Iron Age tattooing. The high-quality data allow for the previously unfeasible distinction of artist hands and enable us to put the individual back into the picture of a widespread but rarely preserved prehistoric practice."

These ancient tattoos show the work of a master and apprentice | Science | AAAS

High-resolution near-infrared data reveal Pazyryk tattooing methods

Figure 3. Left forearm tattoo

Figure 4. Right forearm tattoo

Figure 5. Tattoos placed on the hands; the bird, cross, and fish-like ornament are on the left hand, the floral ornament is on the right hand

Muskelmasse und Weiblichkeit in der Schweiz – Ein Widerspruch?

Weibliche bodybuilder in der Schweiz! Das Schweizer deutsch ist gewöhnungsbedürftig.

Eines Tages muss vielleicht auch eine Frau eine Armbrust anspannen! 😊

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's tattoo in Arabic sparks controversy

Amazing stuff! You can't make this up! 😊

Supposedly, this is a right wing symbol of Islamophobia.

What is President Trump thinking or saying about this?

P.S. Just learned that Hegseth (age 44) has been already married three times.

"US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has come under significant public criticism after images shared on social media on Tuesday revealed he has a tattoo of the Arabic word "kafir" (which means "infidel" or "non-believer"). ..."

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's tattoo in Arabic sparks controversy - The Jerusalem Post "The term "kafir" (meaning "infidel" or "non-believer") is used in Islam to describe non-believers and has increasingly been appropriated by far-right groups."

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's tattoo, "kafir" (meaning "infidel" or "non-believer")

Does a tattoo increase your cancer risk? Medical research/profession is still ignorant?

I believe, this subject has been reported and discussed for at least the past 50 years. Here is some of the latest research based on a twin study. It seems large size tattoos are more dangerous.

Since it has become a big business and so many people now carry tattoos in the 21st century, the medical profession is still unable to give better answers! This is a huge skandal!

According to Google AI enhanced search: "There are roughly 20,000-26,000 tattoo parlors (or body art studios) in the United States, with the market size estimated at around $1.5 billion." & "Approximately 32% of American adults report having at least one tattoo, with 22% having more than one."

My best guess is that tattoos do not seem to be very risky when it comes to cancer. E.g. would we have not already noticed an increase of cancer cases among individuals working in tattoo parlors that can be traced to their work? Tattoos have been around for about 5,000 years.

Maybe more research into this issue seems to be necessary and recommendable.

Disclaimer: I do not intend to claim or insinuate that tattoos cause cancer or increase cancer risk or to diminish or downplay any potential or real risk.

"Assessing the cancer risk of modern tattoo ink has proven a challenge [???] — it can contain many different chemicals and production isn’t standardized worldwide. Recent studies have hinted that tattoos might be linked to lymphoma and skin cancers, with the risk increasing with tattoo size. That could be down to that tattoo stimulating a chronic immune response, says Signe Clemmensen, a public-health researcher and the co-author of one of the studies. But we’ll need much larger studies to get clearer answers."

From the abstract:

"Background

We aim to study the potential association between tattoo ink exposure and development of certain types of cancers in the recently established Danish Twin Tattoo Cohort. Tattoo ink is known to transfer from skin to blood and accumulate in regional lymph nodes. We are concerned that tattoo ink induces inflammation at the deposit site, leading to chronic inflammation and increasing risk of abnormal cell proliferation, especially skin cancer and lymphoma.

Methods

We conducted two designs of twin studies to improve confounder control: A cohort study of 2,367 randomly selected twins and a case-control study of 316 twins born in the period 1960–1996. Cancer diagnoses (ICD-10) were retrieved from the Danish Cancer Registry and tattoo ink exposure from the Danish Twin Tattoo survey from 2021. The analysis addressed effects of time-varying exposure.

Results

In the case-control study, individual-level analysis resulted in a hazard of skin cancer (of any type except basal cell carcinoma) that was 1.62 times higher among tattooed individuals (95% CI: 1.08–2.41). Twin-matched analysis of 14 twin pairs discordant for tattoo ink exposure and skin cancer showed HR = 1.33 (95% CI: 0.46–3.84).

For skin cancer and lymphoma, increased hazards were found for tattoos larger than the palm of a hand: HR = 2.37 (95% CI: 1.11–5.06) and HR = 2.73 (95% CI: 1.33–5.60), respectively. In the cohort study design, individual-level analysis resulted in a hazard ratio of 3.91 (95% CI: 1.42–10.8) for skin cancer and 2.83 (95% CI: 1.30–6.16) for basal cell carcinoma.

Conclusion

In conclusion, our study suggests an increased hazard of lymphoma and skin cancers among tattooed individuals, demonstrated through two designs: a twin cohort and a case-cotwin study. We are concerned that tattoo ink interacting with surrounding cells may have severe consequences. Studies that pinpoint the etiological pathway of tattoo ink induced carcinogenesis are recommended to benefit public health."

Nature Briefing: Cancer

Tattoos are being linked to some cancers. Are they really a risk? "Having a tattoo has been linked to a higher risk of conditions like lymphoma and skin cancer, but the situation isn't clear-cut"

Tattoo ink exposure is associated with lymphoma and skin cancers – a Danish study of twins (open access)

America's first known female tattoo artist Maud Wagner

Recommendable! She learnt from and was married to a male tattoo artist.

Banned pigments found in tattoo inks sold in the EU

Hopefully this human fad and folly is over soon! I personally prefer temporary over permanent tattoos.

Aesthetics and fashion is in the eye of the beholder! My eyes often hurt when I see extensively tattooed fellow humans in particular women. More a turn off than a turn on.

"Several common tattoo inks sold and used in Europe contain pigments banned under the region’s chemicals regulatory framework, according to new analysis out of John Swierk’s research group at Binghamton University in the US. His team is urging the industry to develop improved and standardised manufacturing protocols.

Specifically, the chemists investigated five green and five blue tattoo inks from five separate manufacturers that are distributed in Europe and marketed as being Reach (registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals) compliant. Reach not only forbids certain pigments but also mandates that all tattoo ink labels provide an accurate ingredient list with relevant hazard warnings. ..."

Banned pigments found in tattoo inks sold in the EU | Research | Chemistry World

Made-to-fade tattoos

I like that idea of ephemeral tattoos!

"US start-up Ephemeral has developed what it describes as one of the first systematic innovations in tattooing in hundreds of years: a way to make tattoos disappear naturally rather than requiring laser surgery. ..."

Made-to-fade tattoos | Business | Chemistry World Ephemeral’s biodegradable tattoo ink disappears in 9–15 months