Can Tattoos Cause Blood Clots?

Can Tattoos Cause Blood Clots?

There doesn’t appear to be any definitive study that identifies a connection between getting a tattoo and the formation of blood clots. 

However, anyone with a blood disorder should seek medical advice before making a decision to be tattooed. 

Blood clots form when a portion of your blood thickens and forms a semisolid lump within an artery or vein. An injury or disease can initiate this process, but it can also happen inside blood arteries that aren’t damaged. 

Once these clots form, they have the potential to spread to other parts of your body and cause problems that can be potentially fatal, particularly, if they move to your lungs or brain.

Blood thinners are usually prescribed to reduce the risk of blood clots in vulnerable patients.

While we couldn’t find a study that identifies a relationship between getting a tattoo and the formation of blood clots, we found plenty of warnings against getting a tattoo if you have a condition that makes you vulnerable to blood clots and you are on a blood thinner. 

Conditions like atrial fibrillation (AFib), deep vein thrombosis (DVT), and pulmonary embolism (PE), may require you to take a drug such as Xarelto or Warfarin for thinning your blood. 

If this is the case, you should discuss a decision to get a tattoo with a medical professional and also explain your condition to your tattoo artist.  A reputable tattoo artist may advise you against getting anything but a small tattoo. 

Blood thinners will make the blood less successful at clotting at skin level. This means that the tattooed skin will remain open for a longer period, it may bleed profusely and it will be more susceptible to bacterial infections.

Will Getting a Tattoo Over Varicose Veins Cause a Blood Clot?

Tattoos are sometimes used to conceal a flaw on the body, such as a birthmark, scar, or even another tattoo.  Because tattoos are an excellent method to hide things, you might be thinking, “Can I tattoo over my varicose veins?” Or will it potentially cause a blood clot?

Where, again, there doesn’t appear to be any research that would point to tattooing over varicose veins leading to a blood clot, unfortunately, getting a tattoo to hide varicose veins is still not advised because it can lead to other serious and unpleasant problems. 

The procedure for acquiring a tattoo entails putting pressure on the skin while repeatedly deploying a needle. This could cause the vein to burst, hemorrhage into the surrounding tissue, and infect it.

The protruding vein might also cause your tattoo to appear distorted in unexpected ways, ending up with a less than desirable result, even if applied by a talented tattooist.

It’s possible that tattooing over varicose veins will make them harder to spot. This may be a good technique to hide the vein, but a doctor may have a difficult time locating it so that it can be diagnosed and treated effectively.

Reported Case

In 2009, the British newspaper, The Mirror, reported on the death of a 35-year-old man 10 days after his newly acquired tattoo became infected. 

The cause of death was a blood clot in the lung from a deep vein thrombosis in his right calf, the location of the newly etched tattoo.

However, the coroner couldn’t determine whether the thrombosis was related to the infected tattoo or to the fact that the man was uncommonly inactive because of the pain.

This is an isolated case, and with no definitive medical consensus that the blood clot was due to the tattoo, so there’s no reason to believe that there’s any concern of a blood clot forming after getting tattooed.

Conclusion

With no definitive evidence that getting a tattoo can cause blood clots, it’s fairly safe to say that it is highly unlikely anyone would develop one as a direct consequence of getting tattooed. 

However, If you have a disease or condition that requires you to take blood-thinning medication to prevent blood clots, it’s best to discuss your decision to get a tattoo with a medical professional and inform your tattooist of your condition beforehand.