For publication in Careers in Gear Magazine

By Kevin Freeman

Anyone who has suffered from a condition that requires medical jewelry to be worn – for medical personnel to find in cases of emergency – understands the costs involved in regularly replacing it every 2-3 years due to fading and wear. The problem is that the costs involved can be significant, causing people to simply put the problem off until it is too late to make a difference.  Because of this problem, some patients are finding a more creative – and permanent – solution: medical tattoos.

Diabetics are lining up on the front lines of this trend, tattooing their medical conditions or needs in place of their pendants or jewelry so that paramedics can understand their urgent need for insulin. Cancer patients are finding that a few tattooed dots in the right areas can outline a map for radiation treatment, eliminating the chance for multiple sessions to overlap and damage unnecessary tissues. Mastectomy patients, who often must lose some or all of their nipples, are using medical tattoos to fill in missing areolas, which might otherwise become a source of embarrassment or shame.

Medical tattoos are cost effective because of their permanence. They can be made attractive or fashionable for those who wouldn’t otherwise wear medical jewelry. They cannot be lost or stolen just when they might be needed the most. Like any solution, however, they also carry some negative aspects.

Diabetics, whose healing processes are often slowed, may be placing themselves at risk for serious infection by receiving tattoos. Wherever needles are used, there exists a chance for contracting hepatitis or HIV if they, and the inks flowing through them, aren’t perfectly sterile. In rare cases, people develop allergic reactions to the ink dyes used for tattooing – this in addition to the likelihood of interference from those dyes during MRI scans.

Dave Vanderburg, owner of Dave’s Custom Tattoos, is a Sacramento tattoo artist who does things right. He uses sterile needles and inks. He makes sure his diabetic patients consult with their doctors before he tattoos them. He has experience in administering medical tattoos for some of his clients. Dave’s clients have placed themselves in very capable hands, and have significantly reduced a number of risks by doing so – but they haven’t escaped all of them.

Despite the drawbacks of medical tattoos, the question on many people’s minds is no longer whether medical tattoos are catching on, but instead how the medical community will respond to them; as of yet, paramedics are not trained to seek them out on a patient’s body. Many believe, however, that the medical community will adjust their procedures as the trend catches on.

Are medical tattoos right for everyone? There are, of course, exceptions to every rule. But to some, they are an effective solution to a nagging problem. With the appropriate level of research and diligence, a number of serious risks can be avoided when seeking medical tattoos, but anyone who is interested should, of course, first consult with a primary care physician regarding the personal risks involved.