Qwhat is the relationship between tattoos and skin health risks? The new regulations introduced that regulate the use of certain colors and inks are aimed precisely at greater protection. But perhaps an even more interesting topic to address is that of tattoos and melanoma.
Tattoos and melanoma: what is the risk?
Let’s clear the field of misunderstandings immediately: to date it is not a direct association between tattoos and the onset of melanoma (a terrible skin cancer) has never been demonstrated. So it is not our intention to induce suspicion in this regard. It will be science, if it deems it appropriate, to evaluate and investigate this association.
What we will deal with today, however, is to answer the question: the Can diagnosis of a melanoma be delayed or made more difficult due to a tattoo? How should you behave when you have nevi of the skin and want to get a tattoo?
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Tattoos: watch out for moles
Let’s start with the last question: i nevi must never be tattooed, indeed, it is necessary to leave a margin of at least one centimeter for any tattoo. But what if we have already had a tattoo and a nevus should subsequently arise?
We asked for an opinion from the Doctor Francesco Ricci, Director of the MelanomaUnit of the IDI, the Dermopathic Institute of the Immaculate Conception of Rome. Dr. Ricci had already published, in theEuropean Journal of Dermatology, the case of a 38-year-old patient whom he had found a melanoma precisely in a region of tattooed skin. So we asked him what advice to follow.
No to tattoos that are too dark or extended: here’s why
“It’s important tattoo at least an inch away from the snow already present. Equally important is also avoid large tattoos or excessively dark because a lesion that arises from scratch becomes more difficult to recognize and identify “.
“To date there is no evidence of a correlation between tattoos and the onset of melanoma, therefore we cannot say that the tattoo is a risk factor for melanoma », explained the dermatologist Francesco Ricci.
The dermatologist’s diagnosis
“The problem is that there disturbs in making the diagnosis, indeed when the tattoo is very dark we have difficulty understanding the nature of the lesion we are observing. It can also happen that a absolutely calm nevus when it is tattooed may appear altered due to irritative and inflammatory phenomena and lead us to believe that it can be dangerous. This results in a surgery that could have been avoided“.
It might seem a trivial matter or a trivial difficulty of dermatologists alone, however it is something that concerns all of us since “it complicates the dermatologist’s ability to discern the benignity or malignancy of the lesion” fundamental aspect to be identified in order to proceed with a correct therapeutic procedure .
The importance of self-examination of the skin
Finally, Doctor Ricci points out that «it is also a problem for skin self-examination. The suggestion we give to all our patients is to periodically check yourself so that we can report any suspicious lesions, but it may be difficult to notice the onset of suspicious lesions on tattooed areas ».
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