The vaccinated tattooed stork!
Hier findest Du die deutsche Version des Artikels
REACH compliant tattoo inks are no more related to sporadic side effects of tattoos than birth rates are to the number of storks in a region.
Through social media we have heard about the rumor that REACH compliant tattoo inks in very rare cases cause side effects such as mild swelling. We are often amused by the wild theories that are spread via social networks. But in this case we would like to correct the rumor and clarify the background, so that tattooists and people who have tattoos are not unnecessarily unsettled.
The cause of the very rare side effects is not hidden in the tattoo inks, but in the Covid-19 vaccinations or infections. And we as tattoo ink manufacturers are not making this up – leading experts in dermatology and science agree on that.
Based on our current knowledge, we recommend an interval of at least 4 weeks between a tattoo and a Covid 19 vaccination or infection. This gives the immune system enough time to deal with the challenges of the vaccination and that of the tattooing in succession.
But what’s the truth of the rumor?
Rumors often arise from observations that are falsely, and often unknowingly, brought into a cause-and-effect relationship with each other. In our case of REACH compliant tattoo inks and the alleged side effects, it is a so-called correlation.
Fun fact and example of a correlation:
Between 1966 and 1975, a decline in both the birth rate and the number of stork pairs was observed in the German state of Baden-Württemberg.
To establish a causal link here, one would have to follow the fallacy that storks bring us our babies.
It is true that since January 2022 the new REACH regulation has come into force. This regulation has the consequence that the ingredients of tattoo inks in Europe were extremely strongly restricted and limited. This REACH regulation is among other things through the European petition “Save the Pigments” by Michael Dirks (The3Pylons) and Erich Mähnert on everyone’s lips.
It is also true that in recent months very rare swellings and reactions have been observed in tattoos and cosmetic treatments with e.g. fillers, implants and Botox. This seems to be a very rare phenomenon, which in most cases occurs only temporarily and is completely reversible.
Wrong and above all unproven at the rumor is that REACH compliant tattoo inks cause these unwanted swellings and side effects! The causal relationship, according to leading experts in the field of medicine and dermatology, lies rather in the Covid-19 vaccination and / or infection.
Experts also see the rare side effects after tattooing as related to Covid-19 vaccinations and/ or infections.
It is important to note that there is no specific and evidence-based evidence on this yet.
Dr. Robert Gotkin and Prof. Dr. med. Christian Raulin
The dermatological journal “Derm” of June 2021, for example, states “Both Gotkin, Cotofana et. al. (1) as well as Raulin (2) have decisively demonstrated that swelling and adverse reactions associated with a vaccine-triggered immune reaction are very rarely possible with dermal fillers, as well as always being completely reversibly treatable.” The dermal fillers mentioned here can be used for comparison in their effect on our immune system.
Dr. rer. nat. Steffen Schubert
We asked the natural scientist and researcher, Dr. rer. nat. Steffen Schubert, for his opinion. Steffen Schubert has been working scientifically on the subject of tattooing for many years and is a frequent and popular speaker at various international tattoo congresses. He also sees to the current state of knowledge no connection between the sporadic side effects and REACH compliant tattoo inks and sees the cause rather in the Covid-19 vaccinations and/ or infections: “Never before have so many people been vaccinated at once, therefore extremely rare complications are now also increasing.”
In Germany alone, over approximately 147,240,000 million vaccine doses were administered by April 2022.
As of April 25, 2022. Source: https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations?country=DEU
Our recommendation!
Covid 19 vaccination or infection greatly weakens our immune system. And by a tattoo as well.
Based on our current knowledge, we recommend an interval of at least 4 weeks between a tattoo and a Covid 19 vaccination or infection. This gives the immune system enough time to deal with the challenges of the vaccination and that of the tattooing in succession.
Our conclusion
Believing that REACH compliant tattoo inks cause the sporadic side effects is like believing that the stork brings us babies.
References:
(1) Gotkin RH, Gout U, Sattler S, Piansay-Soriano ME, Wanitphakdeedecha R, Ghannam S, Rossi E, Ferrariz TS, Hexsel D, Frank K, Davidovic K, Sarnoff DS, Cotofana S (2021): Global Recommendations on COVID-19 Vaccines and Soft Tissue Filler Reactions: A Survey-Based Investigation in Cooperation With the International Society for Dermatologic and Aesthetic Surgery (ISDS). J Drugs Dermatol 20 (4),374-378
(2) Conrad D, Raulin C (2021): COVID-19-Impfung – (k)ein Risiko für Patienten mit dermalen Fillern? derm Praktische Dermatologie 27, 29-33