Can Tattoos Give You Cancer?

Today, tattoos are seen everywhere—nearly a third of American adults have at least one—and people spend vast sums of money for these artistic decorations. Currently, people spend $2.2 billion annually on the tattoo fad, and this number is expected to rise to $4 billion by 2032  (New York Times, August 16, 2024).

Tattoos are often considered a harmless form of self-expression. But are they really safe? Several recent studies suggest otherwise. According to a study published in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet, “The tattooing process invokes an immunologic response that causes translocation of tattoo ink from the injection site” (June 2024). The body some of this ink in lymph nodes. Researchers from Lund University in Sweden conducted a case-control study of nearly 12,000 people and, after controlling for other factors, found that those with tattoos were 20 percent more likely to develop a cancerous lymphoma than those without tattoos. The risk was greatest among those who had been tattooed recently. Another large Danish study indicates that those with tattoos are more likely to develop both lymphomas and skin cancer (University of Colorado, May 12, 2025). While these studies cannot definitively say that tattoos cause cancer, these two large, well-designed studies have the same findings. Together, they suggest that tattoos are a risky choice and may cause lymphoma or skin cancer.

Few people today are aware that the God of the Bible commanded His people not to put tattoos on their bodies (Leviticus 19:28). God created the beautiful human body in His own image (Genesis 1:26), and it is not ours to deface (1 Corinthians 6:19). But His laws are also for our good (Deuteronomy 10:13), and these studies illustrate that we ignore His commands at our peril. To learn more about what God thinks about the growing fad of so-called “body art,” read or listen to “Marks of Regret.”