New research suggests tattoos could protect against skin cancer

By Stephen Beech

Tattoos protect people from the deadliest form of skin cancer, new research suggests.

Melanoma is less common in individuals with several tattoos, with one key caveat, according to the American study.

Scientists from Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah evaluated 7,000 local people.

They found that having two or more tattoo sessions decreased the risk of both invasive and in situ melanoma.

In situ melanoma means the cancer cells remain on the skin's surface and are more easily removed.

But the researchers also found that participants with only one tattoo session were more likely to have melanoma, especially in situ.

Study leader Jennifer Doherty says the reasons why that may be the case are speculative, and more research is needed to understand the surprising pattern.

Doherty said: "Tattoos are increasingly common, and it's an understudied form of environmental exposure, especially in young people.

"We really need to understand how tattoos could impact risk for different types of cancer.

"For melanoma, the results seem to be mixed.

"But we see people with two, three, and four tattoo sessions having decreasing risk, and that's a stronger pattern than the increased risk with just one session."

Research suggests around one in three people today have tattoos.

Around 41% of Americans under 30 have at least one, as do 46% of people between the ages of 30 to 49.

Localized melanoma has a 99% five-year survival rate, but that drops to less than 35% if it spreads to distant organs.

Doherty says that her research team originally hypothesized that having more tattoos would increase melanoma risk due to the carcinogens — such as metals and other chemicals — found in tattoo ink.

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The ink in a person's skin can also break down over time and create new carcinogens that weren't originally in the tattoo.

Tattoos can also cause inflammatory responses, and inflammation is often associated with cancer risk.

Study first author Rachel McCarty, a former doctoral student at Huntsman Cancer Institute, said: "The results that tattoos could decrease melanoma risk surprised us.

"But this isn't a black and white case of 'get more tattoos, and you could lower your risk of melanoma.'

"Instead, we need to do more research to understand what we are seeing and if this decreased risk is simply due to behavioral or physical factors, or if there could be beneficial immune responses associated with tattooing which lower melanoma risk."

It may be that people with several tattoos are more cautious with sun safety and take better care of their skin, according to the research team.

They suggest that tattoos could also form a physical barrier that blocks ultraviolet radiation or cause an immune response against precancerous cells.

McCarty says those with tattoos should continue making informed decisions about skin protection.

She said: "Tattoo artists already advise their clients to wear sunscreen and sun protection to prevent tattoos from fading.

"We know wearing sunscreen is an important safety step for everyone, even without tattoos.

"But it's also important for those with tattoos to take extra precautions to prevent any additional harmful components from forming in the skin when pigments break down from UV exposure."

While the study revealed a decreased melanoma risk for those with tattoos, the research team says that may not be true for other types of cancer.

An earlier project from Doherty's team and a Swedish study both suggest that tattooing could be connected to an increased risk of certain blood cancers.

But the research team says the findings of the melanoma study, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, are a "promising" step forward in understanding how tattoos can impact skin cancer risk.

Co-author Douglas Grossman, of the Melanoma Center at Huntsman Cancer Institute, added: "The Mountain West and the area we serve have some of the highest melanoma rates in the country.

"Better understanding risk factors for melanoma will help us improve prevention strategies across the region, advise our patients about risks more accurately, and ultimately save lives."