Tattoos have become more and more popular over the last ten years, but are they safe? Or could  they be involved in hair loss?

Tattoos contain heavy metals like mercury, lead, antimony, beryllium, nickel and arsenic. These heavy metals give the tattoo permanence in the skin. However, heavy metals are toxic. In 2007, the American Environmental Safety Institute (AESI) brought a lawsuit which forced two of the leading tattoo ink manufacturers to put warning labels on their product containers, catalogs and websites, explaining that inks contain heavy metals and that these ingredients have been linked to cancer and birth defects.

Heavy metals are involved in hair loss; mercury, lead and arsenic are known to cause hair loss. That is why I always check for metals when I run hair sample tests for clients.

If you are thinking of having a tattoo, take into consideration that this could have a negative effect on your hair and your health generally.