A study by researchers from the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in France has found that tattoos are linked to an increased risk of cancer, according to news.com.au.
With the rising popularity of tats, the study looked to see whether the ink used can have effect on health.
They found that it can travel in the bloodstream and accumulate in the lymph nodes, thus blocking your body from fighting infections.
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There are various chemicals in tattoo ink, such as titanium dioxide, as well as particles of heavy metals such as chromium, manganese, nickel and cobalt.
The study found that the most dangerous of inks is white, white titanium oxide is used to create, as it increases the person's risk of cancer, as well as skin conditions that cause irritation and itching.
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"When someone wants to get a tattoo, they are often very careful in choosing a parlour where they use sterile needles that haven't been used previously," co-author of the study, Hiram Castillo, said.
"No one checks the chemical composition of the colours, but our study shows that maybe they should."
The report was published in peer-reviewed journal, Scientific Reports, after researchers used X-rays to find tiny particles which move around the body before making 'deposits'.
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson recently revamped his Brahma Bull tattoo.
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"We already knew that pigments from tattoos would travel to the lymph nodes because of visual evidence: the lymph nodes become tinted with the colour of the tattoo," said Bernhard Hesse.
"It is the response of the body to clean the site of entrance of the tattoo.
"What we didn't know is that they do it in a nano form, which implies that they may not have the same behaviour as the particles at a micro level.
"And that is the problem: we don't know how nanoparticles react."
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This is sure to make people worry about their tattoos, though it's reassuring that not much more is known about the effect inking can have on someone's health.
Featured Image Credit: PA