A recent FDA study found that 35 per cent of unopened and sealed tattoo and permanent makeup PMU inks are contaminated with harmful bacteria. If you’re thinking of getting a tattoo, you might want to think again. A study conducted by the US Food and Drug Administration found that several tattoo and permanent makeup (PMU) inks available on the market were contaminated with millions of potentially harmful bacteria.
The research, published in the journal , examined 75 samples of tattoo inks from 17 different manufacturers for potential sources of human infections. The scientists discovered that approximately 35 per cent of unopened and sealed tattoo inks sold in the US were contaminated with bacteria. “Our findings reveal that unopened and sealed tattoo inks can harbour anaerobic bacteria, known to thrive in low-oxygen environments like the dermal layer of the skin, alongside aerobic bacteria,” Seong-Jae (Peter) Kim, corresponding author and microbiologist at the FDA's National Center for Toxicological Research, said in .
“This suggests that contaminated tattoo inks could be a source of infection from both types of bacteria. The results emphasise the importance of monitoring these products for both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, including possibly pathogenic microorganisms”. The study identified the presence of anaerobic bacteria, which thrives in low-oxygen environments such as the skin’s dermal layer where the ink is injected, along with aerobic bacteria, which do.