20 FEB LECTURE HELD: POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS AND COMPLICATIONS OF TATTOOING

Organized by the Branch of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce and Industry “Branimir Richter” in Zagreb, in cooperation with the Section of Pharmacists and Medical Biochemists, on Wednesday, February 19, 2025, in the Hall of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce and Industry “Margarita Peraica”, a very interesting lecture by Prof. Dr. Sc. Slavica Dodig , specialist in medical biochemistry, was held on the topic: Possible side effects and complications of tattooing .

Prim. Dr. Ivan Barišić , president of the HKLD branch “Branimir Richter” in Zagreb, welcomed the attendees and moderated the lecture. Prof. Dr. Sc. Jadranka Sertić presented the scientific path of Prof. Dodig and introduced the lecture.

Prof. Dodig pointed out: “Tattooing is a painful procedure of inserting an indelible pigment under the skin with the intention of permanently painting the body. As a non-verbal form of communication between people, tattooing is as old as human history. Thanks to macrophages, the injected pigments remain in the regional lymph nodes for life, and can also be found in many organs. Some side effects (irritation, infection, skin inflammation) may be visible soon after applying the tattoo ink, some (e.g. allergic reactions) are delayed, and malignant diseases (e.g. skin cancers, lymphomas) may appear years after the tattoo. Of greatest interest is the connection between various tattoo inks and the occurrence of malignant diseases. Pigments that remain “trapped” in the lymph nodes can interfere with, for example, the reading of mammography or ultrasound.

The harmful effects of tattooing are being investigated using in vivo , in vitro , ex vivo and, more recently, in silico methods (i.e., computer simulation and analysis of large amounts of collected data). Case reports and rigorous epidemiological studies have not yet reliably proven a causal relationship between tattoo ink components and the occurrence of autoimmune and malignant diseases.”

The lecture was also followed via a zoom link, and attendance at the lecture was scored by the relevant Chambers.