A string of analytical and epidemiological studies has shown that particles and chemical impurities from tattoo inks (notably carbon black and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, PAHs) can migrate from the dermis to regional lymph nodes and persist there. Recent cohort and population analyses (including 2025 studies) are investigating long-term associations with inflammatory changes and rare cancer signals — the science is not settled, but the presence of known carcinogens in some inks has led to calls for stricter impurity limits and improved ingredient transparency. Clinicians now routinely consider tattoo-pigment migration when evaluating unexplained lymphadenopathy.
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