The most recent research done by the Pew Research Center, Tattoo Finder and Vanishing Tattoo in September 2015 shows:
- 36 percent of U.S. adults 18 – 25 have at least one tattoo
- 45 million Americans have at least one tattoo
- 32 percent of people with tattoos claim they are addicted to ink
- 17 percent of people have some regret after getting their tattoo
Source: Statistic Brain Research Institute
Having multiple tattoos could have surprising health benefits, a recent study suggests.
The American Journal of Human Biology published an article after research found that people with multiple tattoos have a better immune response to new tattoos than people who are getting tattooed for the first time.
Researchers at the University of Alabama collected saliva samples of 29 participants before and after they were inked. Nine of those participants were getting tattoos for the first time.
The saliva samples were used to analyze the levels of immunoglobulin A, an antibody that works as the body's first line of defense against foreign substances.
The saliva samples from the first-time tattoo recipients showed their levels of immunoglin A declined where those with multiple tattoos did not, according to the research. This suggests that people with multiple tattoos have stronger vigilance against stressors associated with soft tissue damage and overall stronger immune systems.
“Tattooing may stimulate the immune system in a manner similar to a vaccination to be less susceptible to future pathogenic infiltration,” according to the American Journal of Human Biology’s original research article.
Although the sample size was small and not yet conclusive, according the article, some people are still surprised by the results.
Charlisa Cassady, a non-tattooed freshman biology major, said she would have expected the opposite of what the study found to happen.
“I feel like when you get a tattoo, it’s almost like going into your skin and cutting it open, which would actually make you more prone to infections,” Cassady said. “If you have to go through that multiple times, I feel like it would be harder on your body to fight off.”
Leah Roller, a senior social work major who has 17 tattoos, said she has never thought of tattoos as being healthy.
“I find this research very interesting and something that I haven’t thought about before. I have a lot of tattoos, so I have been through the healing process many times,” Roller said. “I have just always viewed getting tattoos as a mind over matter thing.”
Christopher Lynn, an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Alabama who co-authored the study, said in a press release that receiving a single tattoo can temporarily lower immune defenses.
Lynn said muscles will be sore; however, if one continues to get more tattoos, the soreness fades and the immune system can heighten making them stronger.
"After the stress response, your body returns to an equilibrium," Lynn said in the press release. "However, if you continue to stress your body over and over again, instead of returning to the same set point, it adjusts its internal set points and moves higher."
Kyle Wardlow, tattoo artist at Lucky Rabbit, was not convinced. He said more research would need to be done before he could be swayed into believing tattoos are better for your health.
“When the article talks about your body being trained to the stressor over time, I wouldn't agree with that because I can say personally that while most of my body is tattooed, the process never gets any easier or less painful,” Warldow said. “For the most part, it's a very similar experience each time.”
If someone is on the fence about getting tattooed, he said he does not think the research would be a thing to sway him or her.
Wardlow said he has never heard of concrete evidence that states there are any health benefits from getting tattooed. He did, however, point out the problems some may face after getting tattooed.
"If you don't properly clean and take care of a healing tattoo, you definitely expose yourself to the possibly of your tattoo healing poorly. Infection could also develop if the area isn't kept clean, regardless of how sterile the procedure of getting the tattoo was," Wardlow said. "It's always hard to say exactly how a tattoo may heal because everyone heals tattoos slightly different."
Michael Cluff, a freshman telecommunications major who has seven tattoos, said he also doesn’t think research would change the views of those who are against tattoos in general.
"Most people that I know who look down upon tattoos usually have an irrational hatred of other things," he said. "They just say something like ‘I don’t like them because they are wrong.’ They don’t have a reason behind it."
Getting a tattoo should be more personal and not determined by a report like this, Cluff said.
"I mean, it really depends on the person, but for me I wouldn’t get a tattoo because a study like this happened. I would get one because I actually wanted to,” he said.
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