Tattoos May Be Hazardous To Your Health
APRIL 7, 2008
LOS ANGELES (Wireless Flash) -- A Los Angeles-based dermatologist advises you to think before you get ink.
Dr. Wendy E. Roberts is a nationally known dermatologist who says there's a very dark side to tattoos.
NaughtyFlipside.com Tattoos look sexy on celebs like Lexi Bardot, but an L.A. dermatologist warns getting inked leaves a person open to all sorts of bacterial infections.
Since tattoos penetrate the skin, which is the body's largest organ, Roberts says there's a high risk for infection that can occur when dangerous bacteria seeps into the newly punctured skin.
She equates getting a tattoo to "putting holes in your armor," and has seen many inked up patients suffer from an aggressive bacteria called MRSA.
MRSA, caused by skin trauma, appears within days of getting tattooed and causes very tender, red skin, spreads quickly, and usually lands victims in the hospital.
But the terrors of tattoos don't stop there.
Roberts says allergic reactions to tattoo inks, pigments, and dyes are also common and can strike up to 17 years after getting a tattoo.
She once treated a patient who was so allergic to red tattoo ink that she experienced swelling, pain, and even oozing of the skin.
Roberts says the most dangerous place to get inked is the foot, because it's low to the ground and is in constant contact with germs.
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