Medical Tattoos – What They Are and Why They Are a Growing Trend

Tattoos are not only a means of self expression, body art, decoration, or cultural significance. Now tattoos are also utilized for medical purposes. Recently, medical tattoos are trending.

What are medical tattoos?

A medical tattoo is essentially the same as any other body ink except for its purpose. A medical alert tattoo is used to show any chronic illness, health condition, or allergic reaction a person has. The tattoo trend has the potential to save lives. In the past, alert bracelets were worn and these contain information that would be most helpful to medical professionals who will initially attend to any emergency. However, a medical ID bracelet is only effective if you remember to wear it daily. Sometimes, the size of the bracelet can be a problem. Stylish wise, it can be a dilemma for others. These devices also have the risk of getting lost or broken. Allergies to any of its components can also pose a problem to the wearer. Another drawback is that some people cannot wear these gadgets because of the nature of their work.

For these reasons, an increasing number of patients are now choosing to ink their body rather than wear standard medical bracelets or medical necklaces. The option of a medical ink is seen as more convenient and acceptable. They are a more permanent solution and are cheaper than constantly replacing medical alert bracelets over the years.

People have now utilized these medical tattoos in various ways. Some people have their medical condition spelled out in ink such as diabetic or allergic to a certain thing. However, while this may seem like an ingenious alternative, it is not like these medical tattoos are fully recommended by doctors. In fact, medical professionals still see some problems. Majority of doctors feel that there should be guidelines and outline which patients are not qualified to get these tattoos, such as diabetics with wound healing problems. Another issue is the competence of the tattoo artist. Another factor is the location of the medical ink. Paramedics are trained to look at the wrists or neck of the patient or check for jewelry that would indicate a medical condition. Therefore, it is essential that a standard location for these inks is set. There are lots of possibilities and the future looks promising for medical tattoos.