According to study, significant percentage of people that tattoo their skin suffer from skin itching and rashes, it was also found that some of them had to see dermatologists to get some relief, months after the tattoo is done.

For the study, 300 people in the New York’s Central Park were interviewed, and researchers found that a significant number of them have skin problems months or years after they had a permanent tattoo.

Dr. Marie Leger, a dermatologist and assistant professor at the New York University and co-author of the study said, “I’ve taken care of patients who have had problems with their tattoos and was curious about how common this was. The colored portion can sometimes raise up as much as a centimeter above the skin and can affect the texture of the skin and the way the tattoo looks.”

About two-thirds of the people interviewed said that they had skin allergies after tattoo; some reported that they suffer skin irritation that were itchy, raised, scaly and filled with edema.

Mike Martin, president of the Alliance of Professional Tattooists said, “I don’t have any statistics or percentages of people who break out with a rash and can speak from my personal experience only. The prevalence of a rash appearing is uncommon although not unheard of throughout the tattoo industry. Some folks’ bodies do not like red pigments.”

It was found that most of the people who had reported having skin troubles after tattoo are actually reacting to the red ink in the pigmentation used for them.

Martin said, “I have heard of the rash appearing 12 months after the tattoo has been healed, it is usually in the site where red pigments were tattooed into the skin. The rash persists until all of the red ink has been pushed from the skin. Occasionally, I have seen this happen to some blues, purples and greens that were tattooed on someone overseas.”

Leger advised everyone who have tattoo to avoid staying in sun, and also to avoid red inks because most people react to it.

It is also advised to take care of the tattoo, and clean it until it is sufficiently healed, and to use tattoo parlors with professional reputation.