Study Finds People With Tattoos at Much Greater Risk of Cancer

Defense Secretary—and prominent tattoo aficionado—Pete Hegseth should take note.

A recent study suggests that getting a tattoo could significantly raise the risk of cancer, with larger designs posing a greater threat.

Analyzing data from over 2,000 Danish twins, researchers found that participants with a tattoo were 62 percent more likely to be diagnosed with skin cancer.

The risk grew with tattoo size—those with tattoos larger than the palm of a hand were 137 percent more likely to develop skin cancer. The risk of lymphoma, a type of blood cancer, increased by 173 percent.

The findings corroborate previous studies that found tattoos are associated with increased cancer risk.

Hegeth’s ink, which covers his right arm and portions of his chest, has drawn scrutiny during his tenure. Observers recently spotted a new tattoo on his right forearm in Arabic that translates to “infidel,” leading some to accuse the secretary of Islamophobia.

Tattoos have grown in popularity, especially among young adults. Overall, 32 percent of Americans have a tattoo, according to a 2023 Pew Research Center survey. But more than two in five people between the ages of 18 and 49 do.

Researchers found that tattoo ink may interact with surrounding cells to cause chronic inflammation and abnormal cell growth; black ink—the most commonly used in tattoos—can contain carcinogenic substances like black carbon. Tattoos can also delay cancer detection by hiding abnormalities.

The study also noted previous research that found that particles from tattoo ink can migrate and accumulate in lymph nodes.

“We can see that ink particles accumulate in the lymph nodes, and we suspect that the body perceives them as foreign substances,” said Henrik Frederiksen, one of the researchers and a consultant in hematology at Odense University Hospital, in a news release. “This may mean that the immune system is constantly trying to respond to the ink.”

The researchers acknowledged that they did not track information about participants’ sun exposure, which can contribute to cancer.