Tattoo

Tattooing must meet all known safety and sanitation standards in order to avoid transmission of Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV infections. As a safety measure, blood banks and many human milk banks do not accept donation of biological products until that a 4 to 12 months period has elapsed after tattooing. Based on this, some authorities recommend to wait until breastfeeding is finished for tattooing.

Aluminum, Cadmium (yellow), Charcoal (black), Cinnabar (red), Cobalt (blue), Chromium (green), Iron (brown), Magnesium (violet), Mercury (red), Titanium (white), Zinc (white), plastics and Formaldehyde are some products used as dyes and pigments for tattooing.

Although dyes and pigments used for tattooing may pose a risk for toxicity are kept under skin that prevents them from entering into blood stream. This is the reason for what an old tattoo or a new one done while breastfeeding is not contraindicated, provided that best standards of safety and sanitation are followed to warrant the prevention of infectious disease transmission.

Creams used for anesthetic, antiseptic or anti-inflammatory purposes before or after tattooing are compatible with breastfeeding, so as Paracetamol or Ibuprofen used for pain relief.

Tattoos on the nipple should be avoided since it poses a risk for swallowing of dyes that may be toxic.

Hide a tattoo with make-up or cover-up is compatible with breastfeeding. Removal by Laser-ray may disaggregate pigments of tattoo that get into lymph and blood and would be excreted into breast milk that is a reason to prudently wait, depending on the dye to be removed, until breastfeeding is finished.

Synonyms

• Tattooing

Writings

• Τατουάζ (Greek)