Researchers in Germany believe they’ve uncovered the biological basis for nickel allergy.  This might lead to new treatments to prevent the problem in the future.

See the article on WebMD here.

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Sorry it’s been such a while between posts–I am getting my book ready to be published and my brain can’t multitask between manuscripts and anything else.

One of the most-frequently-read series of articles on this blog talks about nickel allergies.  Reader Stacey has just added an excellent and informative post to a previous message and I think everyone who is interested would find it well worth reading.  You can find the message and all its comments here.
photo credit: icedtia.

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I got my calendars mixed up, and thought that the Diabetes Expo and the Ink & Iron tattoo show were both in Long Beach last weekend. (Ink & Iron’s next month.) I thought it’d be an interesting combination of venues, and people could go from one to the other without too much trouble (Diabetes Expo at the Convention Center, Ink & Iron on the Queen Mary).

People who have chronic diseases can’t be as carefree and casual about getting tattoos as perhaps they’d like to be.  While it might not be a case of “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction” for everyone, certainly the process of invading your skin with foreign substances can stress some people’s bodies more than others.  Diabetics don’t heal as fast.  People with autoimmune disorders might be pushed into a flare-up.  People with allergies, especially nickel allergies, might have inflamed skin for years.  People with latex allergies should definitely make sure the artist is using some other kind of gloves.

I have three tattoos, and I’m a Type 2 diabetic.  I also have nickel allergy.  I got my first tattoo before I got my diabetes diagnosis, but I went to the tattoo parlor fully informed the second and third time.  Interestingly enough, I was never asked about health conditions by any of the artists who inked me.  In retrospect, I think I should have been.  I don’t think it would have changed anything, but (again in retrospect) I think it’s only right that the artist should know that much about the person he/she is working on. If I get another tattoo (still under consideration) I’ll tell the artist up front if he or she doesn’t ask.

And, of course, people with chronic medical conditions should absolutely do some research before getting body art or piercings.  The more we know ahead of time, the better we can be prepared for possible problems afterwards.  If I’d known there was a connection between tattoo ink and nickel allergy, I might have changed the colors of my designs (although as it turned out, I had no problem with the blue or green colors, only with the red which does not contain nickel).  Knowing that diabetics heal more slowly would not have stopped me from getting any of my tattoos, but knowing that I had diabetes did inspire me to make sure my blood sugar levels were well under control before I got inked.

Have you had to take your health into consideration before getting inked?  Have you been asked about health problems by your artist?  How did you handle the issue?

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A week or so ago, I bought some new makeup  from a well-known, reputable company whose products I have used many times in the past with no problems at all.  The product I bought was relatively new and had been advertised extensively, and it looked like something I could really use.

The first day I wore it, I had no problems.  The second day, I noticed that my face was a little itchy when I washed it at the end of the day.  The third day…  whoa.  Within minutes of applying the makup my face hurt and itched like crazy.  When I washed the product off, my skin looked like it had been sunburned and my whole face was swollen.  I had to make a mad dash to the drugstore to buy some soothing products to wash and coat my poor flaming skin.

I emailed the company’s customer service department and they were very courteous about it and said they would look into the problem.  They may request that I send the rest of the product back.  I’m satisfied with the response I got, but even so, it took several days for the redness and itchiness to go away.

And this was a product from a well known company whose cosmetics had always served me well before.

Which is why I wanted to talk about allergies again today.  If you use the search box on the right and type in “allergies” you’ll see that this subject has come up before and that people are vitally interested in it.  Because tattoo ink is  injected under the skin, if an allergic reaction occurs, treating it is difficult.  Cosmetic products can be washed off and the skin can be treated and left to heal, but if you’ve got a weepy, oozing, itching tattoo you’ve got big problems.  I went through that with the red ink on my ankle tattoo, and the swelling and itchiness literally took years to go away.  I’m very thankful that it did eventually go away, but I went through a lot of skin-soothing and anti-itch preparations before my skin settled down.  That’s one reason I’m hesitant to get any more ink.  As with the makeup, something that’s applied once may not cause problems.  Apply it again and you’re in trouble.

And that’s why the standard advice to try a patch test isn’t necessarily going to tell you anything.  You can certainly have the artist put a few dots of color in an inconspicuous place first, and wait to see if there’s a reaction–but that application might just be what rouses your body’s defenses to begin an all-out attack on the next application of the ink.

Just about any ink color can cause problems, although black seems to be the least troublesome.  Blue based ink may contain nickel, and a lot of people have nickel allergies (myself included).  Red pigments seem to cause a lot of problems as well, perhaps because of the ingredients used to give the deep red color.

I think it would be a wise idea to ask the artist for the brand name of the ink he or she uses, and to write that information down.  That way, if something happens, you will know that brand’s not good for you, and you have a chance of being able to look up the ingredients and take the information to your doctor.

Yes, I advise going to see a doctor for any serious allergic reaction.  A small raised area or a small amount of itching, OK, you can get away with treating it yourself.  But a weeping, oozing patch ought to be seen and treated by a doctor as soon as you can manage it, a dermatologist if possible.  You do not want to end up with a big hole in your skin or a permanent ugly scar instead of your nice tattoo.

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When I got my most recent tattoo, I certainly didn’t expect it to be the last one I ever got. However, the healing process was unusually slow, and it’s only now (more than two years after the fact) that the swelling and itching under the red ink has finally subsided.

I had pretty much made up my mind that it would be a bad idea to get more ink, since I had (and have) no way of knowing what exactly I reacted to. And that was dismaying. Because tattoos are addictive. (The photo at left shows my dragon, which also remained itchy under the red parts for quite a while after application).

But since it seems that I do evetually heal, I’m thinking about getting a visible tattoo this time around. My other three are usually concealed by my clothes. I’m proud of being a multicolored person and I’d like to show off my ink on a more regular basis, but really, the only practical way to do that is to get another tattoo.

To show or not to show?

I’m considering a sleeve, an armband or a bracelet. My daughter has an armband that she designed herself, and I’ve always admired it. I wouldn’t get something quite as elaborate as hers (which includes a picture of her great-grandmother’s totem animal, the red-tailed hawk) but I would definitely have a talented artist design it (and, of course, pay her for her skills). That would be a reasonable compromise between visibility, size, and price.

But on the other hand, the idea of a bracelet appeals to me too. I never wore “real” bracelets much till fairly recently, but now I find myself picking one out nearly every day. Would I do as well with a permanent one? The older I get, the fewer real constraints there are on visible ink placement, and a bracelet would certainly be visible.

I suppose I’ll have to come up with a design with no red ink in it, just to be safe. Oh, and find a local artist. That’s going to be the fun part.

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