Are you considering getting a tattoo? Better think twice before getting inked. A recent study showed people with tattoos are possibly at a higher risk of malignant lymphoma.
A study published in the journal The Lancet compared the data of 1,398 people with lymphoma, 21% of which had a tattoo; and 4,193 without lymphoma, 18% of which had a tattoo. It found that tattoo exposure was linked to a higher risk for lymphoma.
The risk was 81% higher in individuals who had their first tattoo less than two years from the study. It was 19% higher for those who received their ink 11 or more years before the review.
Those with tattoos between three and 10 years old had no definite lymphoma risk.
Interestingly, there was no relation between the size and number of tattoos and the cancer risk.
"Our findings suggested that tattoo exposure was associated with an increased risk of malignant lymphoma," the study noted.
However, Robert H. Shmerling, MD, senior faculty editor at Harvard Health Publishing, warned that the results may not be as conclusive as many readers think.
"If tattoos significantly increase a person's risk of developing lymphoma, we might expect lymphoma rates in the US to be rising along with the popularity of tattoos. Yet that's not the case," he noted.
About 32% of American adults have tattoos, 22% have more than one, 2023 data from Pew Research Center shows.
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