Tattoo fans are getting them done under anesthesia now — here’s why experts warn it could be dangerous By . Adriana Diaz. Published March 19, 2025, 12:27 p.m. ET.

Sealed bottles of tattoo and permanent makeup ink, including some marked as sterile, contained millions of potentially dangerous bacteria, according to new research by the US Food and Drug ...

When tattoo ink enters your skin, your body recognizes it as foreign, says dermatologist Dr. Lauren Moy. That causes the body to recruit immune cells to the area.

According to a 2023 study, there were 15 voluntary tattoo ink recalls in the U.S. involving over 200 tattoo inks between 2003 and 2023. All but one were due to microbial contamination.