An allergic reaction due to tattoo ink is rare, but red inks alone can cause allergic reactions. All the inks except red ink are hypo-allergenic. So when you are about to add red ink for the tattoo on your skin, you should take care if those pigments can cause any allergies.
In other cases, few people are allergic to certain metals present in the ink as they can react with the skin. In such cases, skin becomes itchy or swollen and sebum may ooze. People allergic to a tattoo must be certain if they really need one since there is a threat for anaphylactic shock and it could be life threatening sometimes.
The symptoms of allergic reactions may be just a localized redness and sometimes it could be eczema-like rash. Steroids are used normally for treating such allergies. Hives maybe formed due to the allergies cause by tattoos and they can be treated by home medication. Serious complications due to ink allergies are unusual, but sometimes few people may find difficulty in breathing, wheezing, swelling near throat area etc. However, it must be noted that, if the red ink in your tattoo irritates, it does not always mean it will lead to an allergic reaction.
Precaution is always better than cure. It applies to tattoos as well. One should be careful while tattooing to identify any signs of allergic reaction from tattoo ink. In addition, one needs to keep the tattoo clean and avoid direct exposure to sunlight. The tattoo area must be moisturized more than once daily.
The basic ingredients of tattoo ink are pigments and carriers. Pigments are necessary to add color to the ink. Materials like vegetable dyes, minerals, metallic salts and plastics are used as pigments. Few metals like Nickel have been known to be allergic. If you are able to wear earrings made from nickel, then some tattoo inks will not be suitable for your skin. You must speak to the tattoo artist and get some advice on allergic reactions by tattoo inks on your skin.
Tattoo ink manufacturers and sometimes tattoo artists hardly know the ingredients of tattoo inks. Therefore if you are prone to allergic reactions, it is necessary to take some precautions.
More here: Allergic Reactions Due to Tattoo Ink
