Toxic Facts about Microblading

Shu Uemura Hard 9 pencil for my brows

Microblading seems to be the buzzword of the day.

More commonly known as embroidery or feathering or microstroking, they’re by and large fanciful variations of the same thing – tattooing – the “ancient art” of cutting the skin and inking it afterwards.

Now, just to be clear. I have close friends and family who have tattoos. This article is by no means a condemnation or judgment of their choices.  

However, I did come across a series of recent articles on the dangers and risks associated with inking your body. Many of these risks are long-term.

And I thought to share them with you.

French and German scientists have recently found residual deposits of toxic micro-particles in the bodies of four deceased, tattooed individuals.

More specifically, they found trace elements of titanium dioxide (TiO2), a common additive in white and colored tattoo inks, deeply embedded in their lymph nodes – the body’s natural toxic-filters.

The fact that dangerous TiO2 dust were found lodged in the swollen lymph nodes of the four deceased individuals showed that their bodies were intuitively attempting to trap these harmful substances that found their way into the blood stream through the skin.

While scientific research hasn’t been able to determine if there is a direct, causal relationship between the presence of these elements and cancer, it has hinted at TiO2 having similar properties to formaldehyde, a Category 2 carcinogen.  

In other words, inking may cause cancer.

This is made worse by the fact that there just isn’t much governance when it comes to tattoo inks. And because it is injected directly under the skin, it’s way more dangerous than topical sunscreens and cosmetics, which too have been found to contain TiO2.

That’s why no one has ever claimed that tattoo inks are perfectly safe.

On a more practical note, trends come and go. If you have had your brows tattooed, you can’t change them, ever!

Worse still, what if the aesthetician makes a mistake?

Besides, microblading is in reality a semi-permanent procedure. You’ll have to go back again and again for remedial touch ups.

So why go to all that trouble?

There are better, more natural ways to enhance your eyebrows and I’ll be happy to share them with you in my future posts.

But, if you do have a genuine problem with severe, permanent hair loss around the brow-area (e.g. a condition called alopecia), and would like to consider microblading, do bear in mind the potential risks. Bottom-line is this – tattoo inks are toxic!

Love,

Lynette Tan 

Reference links:-

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/microblading-eyebrow-warning-dermatologist-tattoo-woman-dermatologist-swell-scab-a8006936.html

http://amp.health.com/skin-conditions/tattoo-nanoparticles-lymph-nodes

https://www.polymersolutions.com/blog/titanium-dioxide-dangerous/