We know that getting a tattoo is not a decision that we should take lightly , since there is always the real risk of suffering a skin infection, an allergic reaction and, if there are no adequate hygienic measures, we could even catch diseases such as hepatitis and AIDS.
In fact, there are numerous questions we have asked ourselves about tattoos. For example, is it possible to erase them? Do they last forever? Can they cause skin cancer? But what had never crossed our minds is that they could be good for our health. And that is precisely what emerges froma study carried out by three researchers from the University of Alabama(United States) and published by theAmerican Journal of Human Biology.
According to this research, the fact of having tattooed us on several occasions could help us strengthen our immune response and thus facilitate the task offight common infections like colds.
But be careful, it is beneficialonly if we have tattooed ourselves several times. Because the first time we do it, just the opposite happens: our defenses go down due to pain and the high levels of stress that it causes in our body. In that case, “it is easier for the person to fall ill,” explains Dr. Christopher Lynn, associate professor of anthropology at the University of Alabama and lead author of the research.
The study was carried out among a group of 29 volunteers made up of individuals who were going to get a tattoo for the first time and others who were repeating the experience. To all of themsaliva samples were taken before and after the tattoo was doneto measure levels of immunoglobulin A (an antibody that acts as a first defense against viruses and bacteria) and cortisol (a steroid hormone released in response to stress).
The reduction in immunoglobulin A levels was much greater in those people who were tattooing for the first time than in those who had already done it before, since in the case of the latter the body had alreadytrainedfaced with the aggression involved in getting a tattoo and, therefore, wasmore prepared to fight possible infections.
According to Dr. Lynn, our body’s response issimilar to what we experience on the first day of gym, when we are not yet in shape: at first, our muscles ache, but after more days of training, they stop doing it and end up getting stronger. Something similar would happen with tattoos: the body establishes a higher threshold for our immune system and becomes stronger for later sessions.
The study already has its detractors. As Dr. Sylvie Stacy, specialized in Preventive Medicine and who explained to the newspaperHuffPostthat this research had usedtoo small a sample of individualsand that he had only taken into account a couple of the many substances that participate in the immune response of our body.
“I would not encourage people to get a tattoo just to benefit their immune system,” Stacy explained to the American newspaper. “Getting a tattoo carries significant risks–Including infections, scars and possible adverse psychological effects–. It is highly unlikely that these risks outweigh any improvement that may occur in the immune system response, “concluded the doctor.
