Art of Tattooing: Medical Applications, Complications, Ethical and Legal Aspects
International Journal of Medical Toxicology and Forensic Medicine,
Vol. 6 No. 3(Summer) (2016),
22 October 2016
,
Page 156-163
https://doi.org/10.22037/ijmtfm.v6i3(Summer).11940
Abstract
The art of tattooing has been practiced since the ancient times for a variety of reasons. The descriptive, decorative patterns have not only been used as a means of identification but have established itself in the field of medicine as well, being employed as a therapeutic modality or diagnostic method. These include corneal tattooing, gastrointestinal tattooing during endoscopy, reconstructive and cosmetic tattooing for camouflage, radiotherapy field marking etc. An emerging application of tattooing is medical alert tattooing often practiced by the patients themselves without medical consultation inscribing their disease condition or allergy to a particular medication which may affect diagnosis or treatment. However, tattoos indicating advance health directives (do not resuscitate/do not defibrillate) or the organ donor tattoo pose ethical and legal problems as they may not reflect patient’s current wishes. Furthermore, they are not recognized as meeting any of the legal requirements, so they cannot be considered as valid directives or as consent, but only as a way to guide treatment decisions. In this paper, we outline a brief review of the numerous applications, its advantages, potential drawbacks along with the ethical and legal issues related to it.
- Tattooing
- Identification
- Ethical
- Legal
How to Cite
References
Glassy CM, Glassy MS, Aldasouqi S.Tattooing: medical uses and problems. Cleve Clin J Med. 2012;79(11):761-70.
Saukko P, Knight B. Knight’s forensic pathology. 3rd ed. London: Arnold; 2004. p. 100-1.
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/apr/22/local/la-me-tattoo-20110422 last visited on 30-08-2015
Snider TE, Goodell WM, Pulitzer DR. Gastrointestinal tattoos. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 1994;118(6):640-1.
Luigiano C, Ferrara F, Morace C, Mangiavillano B, Fabbri C, Cennamo V, et al. Endoscopic tattooing of gastrointestinal and pancreatic lesions. Advances in Therapy. 2012;29(10):864-73.
Shaffer RT, Francis JM, Carrougher JG, Root SS, Angueira CE, Szyjkowski R, et al. Indian ink tattooing in esophagus. Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. 1998;47(3):257-60.
Vassileva S, Hristakieva E. Medical applications of tattooing. Clin Dermatol. 2007;25:367–74.
Dawson, LA, Sharpe MB. Image-guided radiotherapy: rationale, benefits, and limitations. Lancet Oncol. 2006;7(10):848–58.
Setlur J. Cosmetic and reconstructive medical tattooing. Curr Opin Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2007;15(4):253-7.
Few JW, Marcus JR, Casas LA. Long-term predictable nipple projection following reconstruction. Plast Reconstr Surg. 1999;104(5):1321-4.
Chen SG, Chiu TF, Su WF, Chou TD, Chen TM, Wang HJ. Nipple-areola complex reconstruction using badge flap and intradermal tattooing. Br J Surg. 2005;92(4):435-7.
Goh SC, Martin NA, Pandya AN, Cutress RI. Patient satisfaction following nipple-areolar complex reconstruction and tattooing. J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg. 2011;64(3):360-3.
Hoffman S, Mikell A. Nipple-areola tattooing as part of breast reconstruction. Plast Surg Nurs. 2004;24(4):155-7.
Evans KK, Rasko Y, Lenert J. The use of calcium hydroxylapatite for nipple projection after failed nipple-areolar reconstruction: early results. Ann Plast Surg. 2005;55(1):25-9; discussion 29.
Bhatty MA, Berry RB. Nipple-areola reconstruction by tattooing and nipple sharing. Br J Plast Surg. 1997;50(5):331-4.
Mohamed SA, Parodi PC. A modified technique for nipple-areola complex reconstruction. Indian Journal of Plastic Surgery. 2011;44(1):76-80.
Lee JE, Jun JB, Choi HY, Oum BS, Lee JS. Corneal tattooing to mask subsequent opacification after amniotic membrane grafting for stromal corneal ulcer. Acta Ophthalmol Scand. 2006;84(5):696-8.
Spyropoulou GA, Fatah F. Decorative tattooing for scar camouflage: patient innovation. J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg. 2009;62(10):353-5.
Kim EK, Chang TJ, Hong JP, Koh KS. Use of tattooing to camouflage various scars. Aesthetic Plast Surg. 2011;35(3):392-5.
Traquina AC. Micropigmentation as an adjuvant in cosmetic surgery of the scalp. Dermatol Surg 2001;27:123-8.
Guyuron B, Vaughan C. Plast Reconstr Surg. Medical-grade tattooing to camouflage depigmented scars. 1995;95(3):575-9.
De Cuyper C. Permanent makeup: indications and complications. Clin Dermatol 2008;26:30–34.
Wenzel SM, Welzel J, Hafner C, Landthaler M, Bäumler W. Permanent make-up colorants may cause severe skin reactions. Contact Dermatitis 2010; 63:223–7.
Sperry K. Tattoos and tattooing. Part II: gross pathology, histopathology, medical complications, and applications. Am J Forensic Med Pathol 1992;13:7–17.
Jacob CI. Tattoo-associated dermatoses: a case report and review of the literature. Dermatol Surg 2002;28:962–5.
Kaur RR, Kirby W, Maibach H. Cutaneous allergic reactions to tattoo ink. J Cosmet Dermatol 2009;8:295–300.
Reddy KK, Hanke CW, Tierney EP. Malignancy arising within cutaneous tattoos: case of dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans and review of literature. J Drugs Dermatol 2011;10:837–42.
Price RR. The AAPM/RSNA physics tutorial for residents. MR imaging safety considerations. Radiological Society of North America. Radiographics. 1999;19:1641–51.
Franiel T, Schmidt S, Klingebiel R. First-degree burns on MRI due to nonferrous tattoos. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2006; 187(5):W556.
Chikkamuniyappa S, Sjuve-Scott R, Lancaster-Weiss K, Miller A, Yeh IT. Tattoo pigment in sentinel lymph nodes: a mimicker of metastatic malignant melanoma. Dermatol Online J. 2005;11:14.
Morte PD, Magee LM. Hyperalgesia after volar wrist tattoo: a case of complex regional pain syndrome? J Clin Neuromuscul Dis. 2011;12:118–21.
Aberer W, Snauwaert JE, Render UM. Allergic reaction to pigments and metals. In: Christa De Cuyper, editor. Dermatologic complications with body art: Tattoos, piercings and permanent makeup, 1st ed. Belgium: Springer link. 2010. p. 66-73.
Sanghavi SA, Dongre AM, Khopkar US. Tattoo reactions-An epidemic on the surge: A report of 3 cases. Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol. 2013;79:231-4.
Greif J, Hewitt W, Armstrong ML. Tattooing and Body Piercing: body art practices among college students. Clin Nurs Res. 1999;8:368-85.
Quaranta A, Napoli C,Fasano F, Montagna C, Caggiano G, Montagna MT. Body piercing and tattoos: a survey on young adults’ knowledge of the risks and practices in body art. Quaranta et al. BMC Public Health. 2011;11:774-81.
Aldasouqi S. A medical alert tattoo. Am Fam Physician. 2011;83:796.
Nag S, McCulloch A. An informative tattoo. Postgrad Med J. 2003;79:402.
Barclay P, King H. Tattoo medi-alert. Anaesthesia. 2002;57:625.
Hall SA. An analysis of dilemmas posed by prehospital DNR orders. J Emerg Med. 1997;15(1):109-11.
Yuen JK, Reid MC, Fetters MD. Hospital do-not-resuscitate orders: why they have failed and how to fix them. J Gen Intern Med. 2011;26(7):791-7.
Downar J, Luk T, Sibbald RW, Santini T, Mikhael J, Berman H, Hawryluck L. Why do patients agree to a "Do not resuscitate" or "Full code" order? Perspectives of medical inpatients. J Gen Intern Med. 2011;26(6):582-7.
Kamer RS, Dieck EM, McClung JA, White PA, Sivak SL. Effect of New York State's do-not-resuscitate legislation on in-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation practice. Am J Med. 1990;88:108–11.
Quill TE, Bennett NM. The effects of a hospital policy and state legislation on resuscitation orders for geriatric patients. Arch Intern Med. 1992;152:569–72
Smith AK, Lo B. The problem with actually tattooing DNR across your chest. J Gen Intern Med. 2012;27(10):1238–9.
Cooper L, Aronowitz P. DNR tattoos: a cautionary tale. J Gen Intern Med;27(10):1383.
Truog RD. Consent for organ donation--balancing conflicting ethical obligations. N Engl J Med. 2008;358(12):1209-11.
Kämäräinen A, Länkimäki S. A tattooed consent for organ donation. Resuscitation. 2009;80:284–5.
Donovan DW. Defending the donor's decision. An analysis of the ethical issues related to first-person declarations of organ donation. Health Prog. 2008;89(2):61-7.
http://nhrc.nic.in/ChildCases.htm#no1 last visited on 22-08-2015
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/43573001/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/t/four-jailed-after-rapest-tattooed-teens-forehead last visited on 25-08-2015
- Abstract Viewed: 701 times
- PDF Downloaded: 1152 times