How much will you endure to get the artwork of your dreams tattooed on your skin?
Some New Yorkers were left with a little something extra following their ink sesh - "rash, severe itching or swelling that lasted longer than four months and, in some cases, for many years," according to researchers.
NYU physician Marie Leger told Contact Dermatitis that up to 6 percent of the city's inked population got a medical condition that was linked to tattoo ink.
Leger and her team conducted a study in 2013 involving about 300 random people in Central Park.
The researchers found that most of the infections come from people being injected with certain colors; 44 percent of people reported chronic skin conditions from red ink, 25 percent from black, news-medical.net reported.
"We were rather alarmed at the high rate," Leger said.
The majority of the victims reported that their complications became chronic, sometimes lasting for years, and in extreme cases, some victims had to remove the skin in the affected area.
Here are some explanations of the possible origins of the bad reactions, via a press release:
Leger cites the lack of regulatory oversight as an underlying weakness in measuring the true scope of the complications tied to tattooing, noting that the chemical composition of colored inks used in the process is poorly understood and not standardized among dye manufacturers.
"It is not yet known if the reactions being observed are due to chemicals in the ink itself or to other chemicals, such as preservatives or brighteners, added to them, or to the chemicals' breakdown over time," Leger said. "The skin is a highly immune-sensitive organ, and the long-term consequences of repeatedly testing the body's immune system with injected dyes and colored inks are poorly understood. Some of the reactions appear to be an immune response, yet we do not know who is most likely to have an immune reaction to a tattoo."
Though there are risks associated with being tattooed, 94 percent of the people who were surveyed did not suffer from any medical conditions.
Even if there are no obvious signs of an infection related to the ink, monitor the non-inked parts of the body to make sure there are no itchy, raised lesions that require laser treatment or surgery.
"Given the growing popularity of tattoos, physicians, public health officials, and consumers need to be aware of the risks involved," Leger concluded.
