Cutaneous Complications Related to Permanent Decorative Tattooing

Decorative tattooing involves the introduction of exogenous pigments and/or dyes into the dermis to produce a permanent design. Practiced for thousands of years, it has gained tremendous popularity during the past 20 years, especially among the young. Tattoo-associated cutaneous complications have only been reported since the end of the 19th Century. With the increased prevalence of tattooed individuals, dermatologists have witnessed increasing numbers of patients presenting with complaints about their tattoos. Complications primarily include infections, hypersensitivity reaction to tattoo pigments, benign and sometimes malignant tumors arising on tattoos, and the localization of various dermatoses to tattoos.