Robert Schmerling in Harvard Health Publishing:
Not so long ago, a friend texted me from a coffee shop. He said, “I can’t believe it. I’m the only one here without a tattoo!” That might not seem surprising: a quick glance around practically anywhere people gather shows that tattoos are widely popular. Nearly one-third of adults in the US have a tattoo, according to a Pew Research Center survey, including more than half of women ages 18 to 49. These numbers have increased dramatically over the last 20 years: around 21% of US adults in 2012 and 16% of adults in 2003 reported having at least one tattoo. If you’re among them, some recent headlines may have you worried:
Study Finds That Tattoos Can Increase Your Risk of Lymphoma (OnlyMyHealth)
Getting a Tattoo Puts You At Higher Risk of Cancer, Claims Study (NDTV)
Inky waters: Tattoos increase risk of lymphoma by over 20%, study says (Local12.com)
Shocking study reveals tattoos may increase risk of lymphoma by 20% (Fox News)
What study are they talking about? And how concerned should you be? Let’s go through it together. One thing is clear: there’s much more to this story than the headlines.
More here.
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