People get a tattoo for various reasons. They can get a tattoo to showcase their colorful nature, to remember a precious memory, to showcase love or interest in something, etc. Another reason is to cover up scars. Covering up scars or birthmarks with tattoos is fairly common. Scars or birthmarks may cause low self-esteem. So covering them up with a cool tattoo may actually help to gain their confidence back. I have seen many people wearing tattoos over their birthmarks proudly and sharing how it changed their confidence level.
But the question is can you tattoo over a birthmark? Many people are doing it but is it actually safe? The answer might surprise you. I will elaborate on the crucial topic below.
Key Takeaways
- You should not tattoo over a birthmark as it can cause skin cancer.
- Apart from skin cancer getting a tattoo over a birthmark can lead to infection, delayed healing, distortion of the tattoo, etc.
- Any mark on the skin you have since birth or a mark that appeared later on the skin or organ is called a birthmark.
- There are two types of birthmarks mainly, one is vascular birthmarks and the second one is pigmented birthmarks.
What Is Birthmark?
Any mark on the skin that you had since your birth or a skin mark that developed over time is a birthmark. Birthmarks do not have a specific shape or size. It can be of any size and shape. But you can divide all the birthmarks into two types, which are:
- Vascular birthmarks
- Pigmented birthmarks
Vascular birthmarks
When blood vessels under the skin don’t form the way they should it can create vascular birthmarks. It occurs when there are too many blood vessels in an area or blood vessels are too wide stretched in an area.
Vascular birthmarks can be divided into two types: Hemangiomas and Vascular Malformations.
- Hemangiomas: Hemangiomas are non-cancerous birthmarks or tumors that appear on the body over time. It can be spotted on the neck and head but sometimes this birthmark can be seen on internal organs too.
- Vascular Malformations: Vascular Malformations are also non-cancerous birthmarks. They appear in babies right after their birth. This particular birthmark grows with the baby, so if you have this birthmark it will grow as your body grows.
Pigmented birthmarks
When an overgrowth of cells happens in a particular area it can create pigmented birthmarks. Too much pigment creates discoloration hence the birthmark.
There are many types of pigment birthmarks. A few of them are café-au-lait spots, moles, Mongolian spots, etc.
- Café-au-lait spots: Generally café-au-lait spots are not life threatening. It usually has the color of milk coffee.
- Moles: You probably have seen many moles throughout your lifetime. Small moles might be safe but big moles has a great chance to develop into cancer. Moles may have various colors such as pink, tan, brown, black, etc.
Tattooing Over A Birthmark
Many people get tattoos over their birthmarks. They hide the birthmark and create a beautiful design over it, which boosts their self-confidence. Sounds great right? Getting a fabulous tattoo that not only hides a blemish from your body but also boosts self-confidence?
Well, doctors beg to differ. Let me explain. Birthmarks are discolored spots on our bodies. This skin discoloration can also be a sign of forming melanoma under the skin. Melanoma is one of the skin cancer that disrupts the pigment-creating cells and makes them go out of control. Research shows that moles and birthmarks are the starting point of melanoma 50% of the time. And tattooed skin also showed high activity of melanoma on the skin. That is why doctors believe that getting a tattoo on a birthmark can be dangerous. The tattoo ink can go into the birthmark and can cause melanoma or skin cancer.
So it is advised to not tattoo over a birthmark to reduce the chance of getting skin cancer in that area. And if you get a tattoo over a birthmark, because of the tattoo coloring you won’t be able to notice any discoloration of the skin which is a sign of melanoma. If you fail to notice the sign of skin cancer early on, it will be extremely difficult to treat it later on.
So put simply, you should not get a tattoo over a birthmark because it will increase the risk of getting skin cancer. You may get a tattoo on the birthmark area, just choose a design so that the tattoo stays around the birthmark but does not touch it. As long as the tattoo ink does not touch the birthmark and just stays around, it should be safe.
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8 Reasons Why You Should Not Get A Tattoo Over A Birthmark
There can be many reasons not to get a tattoo over a birthmark:
1. May cause scarring
The main reasoning behind getting a tattoo over a birthmark is to cover it right? But what if you get a scar by getting a tattoo, wouldn’t it make the matter worse? Remember, tattooing always has a risk to it. A tattoo causing a scar is not that uncommon. And sometimes the skin on the birthmark area can be thin and sensitive. Not to mention you can have sensitive skin on the whole body too, which does not make it any easier. Getting a tattoo on sensitive skin is similar to gambling. It may cause scarring or it may not. Now, why would you risk getting a scar, especially on the birthmark area?
2. Not getting expected result
Getting a tattoo does not always meet the expectation. You may have imagined the tattoo would not only hide your birthmark but also replace the blemish with something cool. There is always a chance the tattoo would look awful over the birthmark and your self-esteem will go even lower.
3. Health issue
Getting a tattoo over a birthmark or on other areas may cause you some health issues, such as:
- Bleeding
- Skin inflammation
- Infection
- Bumps or redness on the skin
4. May cause skin Cancer
You do not know how your skin will react to the tattoo ink. Many inks have components that you can be allergic to. And getting an ink infection on the birthmark is the last thing you want. It can badly distort the appearance of the skin and cause many serious health issues.
Researches show that tattooed area seems to have more activity of melanoma, the most serious and ugly skin cancer one can have. And melanoma seems to occur from moles and birthmarks 50% of the time. So when you combine these two formulas of cancer, I mean if you get a tattoo over your birthmark then it will greatly increase the chance of you getting skin cancer. Ask yourself, is it worth the risk just to cover up a birthmark?
5. Unable to detect visible change
If melanoma or skin cancer occurs on the birthmark area and you got a tattoo over it, then it will be very difficult for you to notice visible changes. This skin cancer causes discoloration of the skin which is an easy sign to detect this issue and start the necessary treatment. Now, if you fail to detect it at an early stage, then it will grow and become more dangerous. And later on, treating to cure cancer can be a daunting task.
6. Difficulty removing the tattoo
If you have a birthmark due to a pigment issue then it will be much more difficult to remove or get rid of the birthmark. If you go with a laser treatment to get rid of the birthmark, you will face some difficulty as the laser breaks pigments under the skin for your tattoo to fade.
7. Change in size
Some birthmarks grow with age and some tend to stay small. Let us say you choose a particular tattooed design to cover a birthmark, with time your body will go through change but the birthmark can remain the same. As a result, you will be left with a distorted tattoo.
8. Healing time
Tattooing over a birthmark can lead to scarring or infection. As a result, you will have a long healing phase. The healing time of a tattoo can be very annoying. On top of that a delayed healing can lead to many other possible issues. Prolonged healing time may discourage you to continue your aftercare routine. As a result, you may get:
- Faded tattoo
- Distorted tattoo
- Tattoo losing brightness
Cause of Birthmark & Prevention
Still, doctors couldn’t find exactly what causes birthmarks to occur. Anybody can have a birthmark after birth or develop one later on. Birthmarks do not occur due to malnourishment or skin trauma during pregnancy. And there is no prevention, so there is nothing you can do to stop birthmarks from occurring. Some kinds of birthmarks may be seen in a particular family, it can run as a family and the new generation can inherit it. Yet doctors are unable to link how birthmarks run in a family and a link between birthmarks and genetics has not been found.
FAQs
Can you tattoo over a port wine stain birthmark?
No, you should not tattoo over a port wine stain birthmark.
Can you tattoo over moles?
No, you should not tattoo over a mole because moles have a higher chance to cause skin cancer.
Can you tattoo over cafe au lait birthmarks?
Yes, you may tattoo over cafe au lait birthmarks as they are on the safe side.
How can I safely get a tattoo over a birthmark?
The only way to safely get a tattoo over the birthmark is to have the tattoo around the birthmark so that the ink does not touch the birthmark.
Final Thoughts
Getting a tattoo over a birthmark can be seen as a great idea but in reality, it can lead to serious issues such as causing cancer. So you should not get a tattoo over your birthmarks unless it is a cafe au lait birthmark which can be safe to tattoo. Another clever way to work around it is to get a tattoo around the birthmark but making sure the tattoo ink does not touch the birthmark. As long as tattoo ink is not touching the birthmark it can be safe.
That said there are plenty of professional tattoo artist who tattoo over birthmarks and claims it to be safe. Well not everybody will get cancer or severe reactions from getting a tattoo over their birthmark. But the chance of getting cancer and other issue is there. So you decide if you want to get a tattoo over your birthmark or not.
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