Tattoos and MS – are they harmful to MSers?

Tattoos are more popular then ever, but having a needle hit your skin with ink thousands of times into your skin may concern people with MS.

In this blog, we’ll find out if tattoos are harmful to people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and what you should do before considering getting one.

Let’s answer the question hanging over most people’s heads first of all, are tattoos harmful to MSers?

Tattoos aren’t directly harmful

There has been no obvious correlation between worse symptoms of MS and getting / having tattoos. Since the disease is autoimmune, affecting the immune system, there isn’t anything that getting a tattoo could do to have a direct impact.

Getting a piece of body art is a safe cosmetic procedure, as long as it’s from a reputable artist, and shouldn’t cause any long-term impacts to your MS.

However, whilst tattoos don’t worsen symptoms, they can inhibit some effects of MS.

Tattoos can impact your heat retention

MS can already affect your sensitivity to heat, as plenty of people say they appear to sweat less with the disease. This can lead to overheating and ultimately a period of worsened symptoms.

A smaller amount of sweat being produced can also result in you losing more electrolytes since it is higher in salt concentration, meaning that things like your blood pressure could be affected.

Studies have shown that tattooed skin happens to release less sweat compared to normal skin, which could make it even harder to regulate your body temperature. It is important to remember each person is different, and the way the heat can impact your body is focused on a lot of factors.

Things to consider beforehand

Getting something that is very personal to you on your body is really exciting of course, but there are some areas you should think about before getting a tattoo.

Infections and scaring

A tattoo is of course a procedure that requires a lot of care, so you must ensure that the artist/parlour you go to follows good practice.

Things such as skin infections could affect you in the short term, but there is also the potential of long-term scaring of the skin.

Know your tattoo artist

When finding the right place to get what you want done, you should take the time to research the artist. This goes beyond their previous work – you can ask them questions like if they’ve tattooed people with skin conditions before for example. Knowing what they’re capable of will help to make the process as easy as possible for yourself.

If you feel comfortable enough you can let them know about your MS. It can make it easier for them to understand what you’re comfortable with and make explaining potential flare-ups / symptoms easier

Ask what ink they’re using

It is very unlikely in more recent times, but you should ask if the ink being used contains any metal. This is fine most times, but when it comes to MRI scans your design could become warped thanks to the magnets interfering with the ink.

Overall, getting a tattoo more often or not doesn’t make a huge difference to the life of someone with MS. There are plenty in the community with cool designs so there shouldn’t be anything stopping you from getting what you want. Take a look at some other relevant resources that we think you’d get a lot of value from linked below.