More needs to be done to ensure that and other permanent makeup products are bacteria-free, according to the authors of a new study that found worryingly high numbers of commercial samples with bacteria in them. Testing found bacteria in about 35 percent of the tattoo inks and permanent makeup sampled in the US. That includes both aerobic bacteria that need oxygen to live, and anaerobic bacteria that don't – meaning they could survive in the under the surface of the skin, even without an air supply.
The research was carried out by a team from the National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR) and the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), both part of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). "Our findings reveal that unopened and sealed tattoo inks can harbor anaerobic bacteria, known to thrive in low-oxygen environments like the dermal layer of the skin, alongside aerobic bacteria," microbiologist Seong-Jae Kim from the NCTR. "This suggests that contaminated tattoo inks could be a source of infection from both types of bacteria.
" The team tested 75 inks from 14 different manufacturers, sampled from sealed, previously unopened bottles. Researchers made 1-2 grams of each ink up into solutions that were then placed into incubators for observation. Microorganisms were discovered in 26 of the 75 samples taken, including 8 potentially pathogenic species.
The most common species were of the genus, associated with a variety of different infections. Of the 75 ta.
