Tattoo Reactions: Can People With Tattoos Wear Jewelry?

Whether you're a fan of tattoo art or not, let's face it, there is an element of mystery surrounding the men and women who serve as canvases to these ink masterpieces. The truth of the matter is the majority of tattoos seen today are created with permanent color pigments instead of ink.

I confess! Like many others, my interest piques when I see individuals decorated in tattoos. Amazed at the symbols and colors these advocates choose, a combination of lines, shapes and colors combine to form an elegant display of bodily art. Without question, tattoos are stylish and their presence only intensifies with jewelry. As in many cases, jewelry befriends tattoos and vice versa. From a distance, it appears to be a perfect union wherein each complements the other. However, similar to many human marriages, the joining of tattoo ink and jewelry can end in separation. It is for this reason that I caution tattoo enthusiasts.

Don't panic! If professional tattoos are in your future, then by all means proceed forward. Just do so with the understanding that following the procedure, you may or may not be able to wear your favorite piece of jewelry.

Can People With Tattoos Wear Jewelry?

So how can the inquisitive tattoo seeker know if he or she can wear the latest styles in pewter rings, silver watches, necklaces, chokers and fashionable pendants? It's simple! And even better, knowing the answer won't require you to purchase a test kit from your local store or worse, endure expensive testing at a lab facility. Since most all tattoo color pigments contain metals, your answer will come from your reaction to the tattoo itself. In essence, if you experience a negative reaction on or around a specific color pigment, it is likely you will be unable to wear jewelry containing the same metal used in the tattoo color.

Tattoo Ink: Allergic Reaction

What constitutes a negative reaction? A negative reaction to tattoo ink is described as the reddening, blistering or inflammation of the skin that occurs immediately or over time.

It is my experience, that customers with tattoos who experienced an adverse reaction to blue and green color pigments, containing metals, chromium and cobalt, experienced an allergic reaction to jewelry that contained nickel.

Let's suppose that you visit your local and reputable tattoo artist and decide on a stylish and colorful tattoo. After the work is completed, you notice a negative reaction around the red color of your tattoo. What do you do? How do you know which metals were used to create the red color pigments in question? The answer lies within the tattoo artist! By law, manufactures, as well as tattoo artists are under no obligation to consumers to disclose the ingredients used in creating their color palette. Many combinations are considered trade secrets, which like the name implies, are kept secret to prevent duplication from competitors.

As all colors are visually different, they are equally different in composition. Since tattoo artist hold information beknown only to them, it is important that tattooed individuals maintain a positive and ongoing relationship with the tattoo artist used in the unfortunate event they experience a negative reaction. In doing so, the tattoo artist is likely to disclose which metals he/she used.

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