Unusual mercury poisoning from tattoo dye

• Published in: Hippokratia 2017-01, Vol.21 (4), p.197-200
• Main Authors: Prantsidis, A, Raikos, N, Pantelakis, Ι, Spagou, K, Tsoukali, E
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Case Report
• ISSN: 1108-4189; 1790-8019

Tattoos have become very popular in modern societies due to the gradual change in aesthetics and psychosocial acceptability. Consequently, tattoo reactions are seen more commonly than in the past. Cutaneous lesions associated with tattoos can be divided into three major groups: allergic/granulomatous/lichenoid, infectious, and coincidental lesions. Early identification and proper treatment of these skin lesions is challenging and necessitates close coοperation of different medical specialties. We report an unusual case of mercury poisoning in a young person manifested with local skin reactions following amateur tattooing. The tattoo induced inflammatory foreign body reactions and required multiple surgical excisions to be removed. The unique feature of this case is the use of the elemental form of mercury in the tattoo dye and the resulting mercury poisoning. The poisoning was confirmed by detection of mercury in blood, urine, and hair samples. This is a rare case of tattoo-associated skin reaction and mercury poisoning by the elemental form of mercury contained in the tattoo dye. In the literature, many conditions have been documented in association with tattoos and the process of tattoo application, especially when red dyes are used, but no similar cases of elemental mercury poisoning from the tattoo dye exist. HIPPOKRATIA 2017, 21(4): 197-200.