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Updated: May 23, 2026
Skin Tattooing As A Novel Approach For DNA Vaccine Delivery
Published on: October 18, 2012
Tattoos, inks, and cancer
Nicolas Kluger1, Virve Koljonen
1Department of Dermatology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Helsinki, Skin and Allergies Hospital, Helsinki, Finland. nicolaskluger@yahoo.fr
Abstract:
The introduction in the dermis of exogenous pigments and dyes to obtain a permanent design (tattooing) represents a unique in-vivo situation, where a large amount of metallic salts and organic dyes remain in the skin for the lifetime of the bearer. The potential local and systemic carcinogenic effects of tattoos and tattoo inks remain unclear. Several studies have shed light on the presence of potential carcinogenic or procarcinogenic products in tattoo inks. We extensively reviewed the literature and found 50 cases of skin cancer on tattoos: 23 cases of squamous-cell carcinoma and keratoacanthoma, 16 cases of melanoma, and 11 cases of basal-cell carcinoma. The number of skin cancers arising in tattoos is seemingly low, and this association has to be considered thus far as coincidental.
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