Can tattoos be the secret weapon in the fight against skin cancer? At first glance, it seems unlikely, but new investigations suggest that tattoo ink may have more effects than obvious, especially when it comes to the risk of melanoma.
For years, people have been concerned with possible health. But a new investigation suggests something surprising: people with multiple tattoos They seem to have less melanoma, not anymore.
UTAH researchers-the US state with the highest melanoma rates-more than 1,000 people. They compared patients with melanoma with healthy people to see if tattoos, especially the extensive ones, influence the risk of cancer.
The results suggested that people who had done several tattoos or had some large ones actually had a reduced risk of melanoma: A risk reduced to half.
This is an impressive find, especially when we consider longstanding concerns about tattoo paints, which contain chemicals that-other contexts-can be harmful or even cancer. Scientists have warned that the introduction of foreign substances into the skin could promote cancer development.
Recent investigations tattoos to a type of cancer called lymphoma. But this broad study based on the population did not confirm these fears in the case of melanoma.
Why the results can be misleading
Still, the evidence has several caveats. The first and perhaps most significant was the lack of data on key risk factors for melanoma, Essential to draw reliable conclusions about cause and effect.
Another problem is the so-called behavioral bias. You tattooed participants were more likely to report risky sun habitslike bronze in interiors and solar burns, although here the apparent “protection” of multiple tattoos remained even after adjustments to smoking, physical activity and other variables.
The situation is further complicated by the fact that the response rate between melanoma cases was only about 41%, iemost people with melanoma did not answer the questions on the subject, which is relatively low.
In addition, no information was collected on the location of the tattoos, so it is not known if they were in areas exposed to the sun or covered.
Interestingly, the study did not show that melanomas occur more often on tattooed skin than in non -tattooed areas. This suggests that the ink itself is probably not directly cancerous, although some investigations indicated the opposite.
However, investigators recommend caution. This is one of the first significant studies on tattoos and melanoma, so the results suggest new ideas to test, rather than proving that tattoos are protective.
What does this mean in practice?
The results are Far from being green light to look for tattoos like shield against melanoma. The absence of detailed behavioral and biological data means that the observed effects may well reflect lifestyle differences or habits not recorded in tattooed populations.
For now, the Fundamental Council for Melanoma Prevention remains: to limit sun exposure, use sunscreen and examine the skin regularly, regardless of having tattoos.
For those who already have several tattoos, the study, however, offers some reassuring news: currently, There is no evidence that tattoos increase the risk of melanoma.
