Tattoos could melt muscles

Tattooing caused permanent muscle wastage and nerve damage in three men, according to recent medical findings.

 

In the 18 July 2000 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, doctors from Israel reported cases of lost muscle tissue in the surrounding area of a tattoo, occurring three to six months after the art was applied.

 

In one instance, a 17-year-old athletic male developed shoulder pain and weakness four months after receiving a tattoo on his right shoulder blade, the doctors reported. EMG analysis had revealed significant muscle atrophy (wastage) in three regions of the shoulder muscles, affecting to a lesser degree the interconnected deltoid and tricep muscles.

 

Two other cases exhibited muscle wastage along with inferior tendon reflexivity and loss of pain sensation in one arm, the doctors said. The three men had received their tattoos at different parlours.

 

The doctors cited immune response and toxicity in the tattoo inks as possible reasons for the side effects, and have called for further investigation.

 

This is the first known instance that tattooing has been medically linked to muscle atrophy.