Having a tattoo means that it is unsafe to offer a blood donation. A temporary deferment of 120 calendar days is required from the date of tattoo application.

Anastasia Polyakova, a general practitioner at the medical company SberZdorovye, spoke about this in an interview with RT.

This restriction is necessary to ensure the safety of donor blood components, as tattooing potentially increases the risk of transmitting infections, including HIV, hepatitis B, C, and syphilis.

Not Just Tattoos

This rule also applies to piercings, permanent makeup, and other procedures that compromise the integrity of the skin,” she emphasized.

The mechanism behind a tattoo allergy differs from a typical reaction to pollen or cats. The pigment is injected under the skin and remains there permanently, exposing the immune system to the foreign substance for years.

Delayed Reaction

Therefore, the reaction is usually delayed, developing over days or weeks.

Allergist-immunologist Daniil Shcheplyaev says, ‘The skin can react two weeks after the session, six months later, or sometimes even several years later.

Negative Sun Exposure

A common scenario: a tattoo is five years old, a person goes to the beach, and after intense sun exposure, a patch of one color begins to itch and rise above the skin.

Ultraviolet radiation triggers a reaction in the pigment, which had previously remained silent,’ the expert explained.

According to him, itching, swelling, redness, dense nodules or bumps may appear, strictly within the boundaries of the pattern, usually in areas of the same color.

‘Sometimes blisters appear, peeling, and in prolonged cases, granulomas (dense nodules of immune system cells that try to isolate pigment) form in the skin,’ the doctor said.

Henna Designs

An allergist noted that resort henna designs are a separate story.

‘Real henna produces a reddish color and rarely causes problems. But for durability and a black hue, paraphenylenediamine (PPD), a dye found in hair dyes, is often added to the formula.

On the beach, it comes into contact with the skin at concentrations prohibited in cosmetics, leaving a chemical burn with blisters and, later, a scar along the outline of the design. What’s worse is that sensitivity to this substance is lifelong,’ Shcheplyaev emphasized.

It is noted that such a person cannot then use regular hair dye, and sometimes reacts to certain medications.

In most cases, tattoo removal is not necessary, a source said.

He advised against using improvised means for treatment.

‘Alcohol, herbal compresses, and ointments left over from a previous infection won’t improve the situation, but irritated skin can easily lead to a secondary infection. Treatment is carried out jointly by an allergist and dermatologist.

Manageable

Topical anti-inflammatory medications are usually prescribed, antihistamines are added for severe itching, and for persistent nodules, targeted treatment is used.

The vast majority of reactions can be managed conservatively, without touching the tattoo itself,’ the allergist stated.

Medical Advice

The doctor recommended choosing a salon that is willing to show documentation for the pigments and also to keep their names.

‘Start with a small element if this is your first tattoo. Avoid sitting in a chair during flare-ups of eczema, atopic dermatitis, or psoriasis.

And don’t settle for black henna on the beach: half an hour of pleasure versus lifelong sensitivity to the dye seems like a bad deal,’ the expert concluded.  Let readers know what you think

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