considering a tattoo while bf, ? about ink safety

[cachet]

i've read a lot about whether or not it's safe as far as the molecules passing into the milk, etc. and that some colors are safer than others....and probably different tattoo places use different brands of inks, i imagine there are better quality/safer inks than others right? and if the concern is molecules passing through the milk, is that just for a certain period after getting the tattoo? one mother said she pumped and dumped for 24 hours--is that the 'critical' time?

thanks for any help!

[Livviesmom0207]

this is an excerpt from a very informative post by Twwly, whose hubby owns a tattoo shop:
You all may or may not be aware that tattoo PIGMENT (the colour in the ink) is just pigment like any other and most pigment sources are metal based, not vegetable based. Artists can say they are using "vegetable based inks" but usually they are referring to the carrier and not the pigment. (Pigment is what makes the colour; carrier is what the pigment sits in. Oil paint is pigment in an oil carrier; acrylic paint is pigment in a polymer carrier; pigment is always PIGMENT).

Anyway! These metals (Cadmium = red; Potassium Ferrocyanide = Yellow & Blue; Titanium Oxide = white) are largely tumorigens, mutagens, reproductive effectors and irritants. So OBVIOUSLY getting tattooed while pregnant is a terrible plan for a variety of reasons, (also being that all pigments molecular weights are WELL small enough to pass through the placenta) but it turns out they are also small enough to pass through breastmilk. For example, the molecular weight of Cadmium (which is a tumorigen, a mutagen and a reproductive effector) is 112.40, and anything under 200 can easily pass through breast milk. And even heavier weights can pass through the larger alveolar cells. Also turns out that even when the size is what one would assume is larger, that molecular SHAPE can allow it to pass through as well.

Tattoo pigment definitely spreads around our bodies; coroners have long reported finding pigment in lymph nodes, and there have been some cases where tumors located near tattoos have picked up the colour(s) from that tattoo. The stuff does float around in us to a degree, particularly during application (or removal especially). Because my next tattoo is a backpiece and I'm only continuing on my merry way to a body suit, I will be opting to wait until I am done BF-ing before getting tattooed. While the risk is theoretical (obviously there are no studies PROVING anything about the saftey of tattoo pigment since they're not even FDA approved to begin with, let alone heavily tested on pregnant/BF-ing women) the theoretical risk would be too great for me personally with that quantity of work in question. Just not personally worth it.

[lifeguard]

Interesting.

[Epona]

Originally Posted by Livviesmom0207

this is an excerpt from a very informative post by Twwly, whose hubby owns a tattoo shop:
You all may or may not be aware that tattoo PIGMENT (the colour in the ink) is just pigment like any other and most pigment sources are metal based, not vegetable based. Artists can say they are using "vegetable based inks" but usually they are referring to the carrier and not the pigment. (Pigment is what makes the colour; carrier is what the pigment sits in. Oil paint is pigment in an oil carrier; acrylic paint is pigment in a polymer carrier; pigment is always PIGMENT).

Anyway! These metals (Cadmium = red; Potassium Ferrocyanide = Yellow & Blue; Titanium Oxide = white) are largely tumorigens, mutagens, reproductive effectors and irritants. So OBVIOUSLY getting tattooed while pregnant is a terrible plan for a variety of reasons, (also being that all pigments molecular weights are WELL small enough to pass through the placenta) but it turns out they are also small enough to pass through breastmilk. For example, the molecular weight of Cadmium (which is a tumorigen, a mutagen and a reproductive effector) is 112.40, and anything under 200 can easily pass through breast milk. And even heavier weights can pass through the larger alveolar cells. Also turns out that even when the size is what one would assume is larger, that molecular SHAPE can allow it to pass through as well.

Tattoo pigment definitely spreads around our bodies; coroners have long reported finding pigment in lymph nodes, and there have been some cases where tumors located near tattoos have picked up the colour(s) from that tattoo. The stuff does float around in us to a degree, particularly during application (or removal especially). Because my next tattoo is a backpiece and I'm only continuing on my merry way to a body suit, I will be opting to wait until I am done BF-ing before getting tattooed. While the risk is theoretical (obviously there are no studies PROVING anything about the saftey of tattoo pigment since they're not even FDA approved to begin with, let alone heavily tested on pregnant/BF-ing women) the theoretical risk would be too great for me personally with that quantity of work in question. Just not personally worth it.

Very interesting! I had no idea.

[Jojo F.]

Livviesmom0207- thanks for the info!!

[rightkindofme]

Originally Posted by Livviesmom0207

this is an excerpt from a very informative post by Twwly, whose hubby owns a tattoo shop:

I follow her blog as well ( Twwly) and she actually has gotten tattoed while still nursing. She just got a neat neck piece.

There are risks to pretty much anything. I finished my back piece after my daughter was a year old and no longer nursing constantly.