allergies and tattoos

I am planning on getting my first tattoo and am wondering what allergies I should be concerned with. I am allergic to nickel and do not know if this is something I should worry about. Thanks to anyone that can give me some info!

yeah.. my cousin is allergic to nickel too.. does anyone know if this plays a factor? i dont think it would.. but i do not know.

i am severely allergic to nickel also...i have two tattoos and no problems. one is 10 years old the other is 4 mos old. good luck!

Sorry to bring back an old thread, but I'm about to get my first tat and am really concerned about having an allergic reaction to the ink. I have a pretty bad nickel allergy. Was planning on getting a fairly large piece on my back, but am now thinking about doing a smaller test tat to see how I react. Anyone out there have metal allergies and gotten color without a problem?

Black Iron Oxide (Fe3O4) Iron Oxide (FeO) Carbon Logwood Natural black pigment is made from magnetite crystals, powdered jet, wustite, bone black,and amorphous carbon from combustion (soot). Black pigment is commonly made into India ink. Logwood is a heartwood extract from Haematoxylon campechisnum, found in Central America and the West Indies. Brown Ochre Ochre is composed of iron (ferric) oxides mixed with clay. Raw ochre is yellowish. When dehydrated through heating, ochre changes to a reddish color. Red Cinnabar (HgS) Cadmium Red (CdSe) Iron Oxide (Fe2O3) Napthol-AS pigment Iron oxide is also known as common rust. Cinnabar and cadmium pigments are highly toxic. Napthol reds are synthesized from Naptha. Fewer reactions have been reported with naphthol red than the other pigments, but all reds carry risks of allergic or other reactions. Orange disazodiarylide and/or disazopyrazolone cadmium seleno-sulfide The organics are formed from the condensation of 2 monoazo pigment molecules. They are large molecules with good thermal stability and colorfastness. Flesh Ochres (iron oxides mixed with clay) Yellow Cadmium Yellow (CdS, CdZnS) Ochres Curcuma Yellow Chrome Yellow (PbCrO4, often mixed with PbS) disazodiarylide Curcuma is derived from plants of the ginger family; aka tumeric or curcurmin. Reactions are commonly associated with yellow pigments, in part because more pigment is needed to achieve a bright color. Green Chromium Oxide (Cr2O3), called Casalis Green or Anadomis Green Malachite [Cu2(CO3)(OH)2] Ferrocyanides and Ferricyanides Lead chromate Monoazo pigment Cu/Al phthalocyanine Cu phthalocyanine The greens often include admixtures, such as potassium ferrocyanide (yellow or red) and ferric ferrocyanide (Prussian Blue) Blue Azure Blue Cobalt Blue Cu-phthalocyanine Blue pigments from minerals include copper (II) carbonate (azurite), sodium aluminum silicate (lapis lazuli), calcium copper silicate (Egyptian Blue), other cobalt aluminum oxides and chromium oxides. The safest blues and greens are copper salts, such as copper pthalocyanine. Copper pthalocyanine pigments have FDA approval for use in infant furniture and toys and contact lenses. The copper-based pigments are considerably safer or more stable than cobalt or ultramarine pigments. Violet Manganese Violet (manganese ammonium pyrophosphate) Various aluminum salts Quinacridone Dioxazine/carbazole Some of the purples, especially the bright magentas, are photoreactive and lose their color after prolonged exposure to light. Dioxazine and carbazole result in the most stable purple pigments. White Lead White (Lead Carbonate) Titanium dioxide (TiO2) Barium Sulfate (BaSO4) Zinc Oxide Some white pigments are derived from anatase or rutile. White pigment may be used alone or to dilute the intensity of other pigments. Titanium oxides are one of the least reactive white pigments. wow.

Just wanted to post a followup for any others with this question. I got a dragonfly with pretty much every color possible as a test 2 weeks ago. Healing beautifully, no problems. My artist used National inks, for any who care.

Hey, Just want to steer you away from using Tattoo Goo salve to heal your tattoo. I just got a second one, and made the mistake of using the salve on the top half (I sat twice for the whole tattoo). I think that the tin it is used in has nickel in it, and it has taken A LOT longer to heal.

i've got severe nickel allergies. I've also got a tattoo (black ink) that i've had for a year and half now, with no problems.