Is it safe for a patient undergoing chemo to get a tattoo?
The reason that doctors often warn against getting a tattoo -- or doing anything else that's an infection risk-- while undergoing chemotherapy is that chemo drugs lower cancer patients' white blood cell count, and white blood cells are the ones that fight infection. It's not that the tattoo is going to interfere with cancer treatment exactly, but an infection can be very dangerous when the body is immune compromised.
Most tattoo artists take precautions to make the procedure safe and infection-free, but when it comes to needles piercing the skin, there is going to be an infection risk.
If your family member really wants to get a tattoo, and can't wait until chemotherapy's completed, it would be best if they discussed it with the oncologist.
i would tend to think that getting a tattoo would be the furthest thing from my mind if i was getting chemo. but whatever floats your boat
m320753,
[edited for language], while under going cancer treatments it's nice to think of ways to take some control over your body and for some that means tattoos. you know what ppl getting chemo think about ALL the time? chemo...and it's destroying our body while curing the cancer. during cancer treatments your covered in needle marks, pen marks, site stickers, and tattoos (!) for radiation, not to mention bleo spots. it's a nice thought to hope one day you'll be able to put something you actually want to look at on your body.
It is not a good idea at all. I am doing chemo now too and chemo just messes up your immune system, kills red and white blood cells. You could almost guarantee you would get an infection and that the tattoo would surely not heal right.
Waifxoxo... I completely agree with you. People tell you try not to think about it but how can you not think about it...
