Dermatology

Tattoos: between passion and melanoma risk comes informed consent

There is no scientific evidence on the development of any skin tumours but inks can cover up moles and make diagnosis more difficult

by Paolo Castiglia

2 February 2026

2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Key points

What the Senate-passed bill envisages
Column (Idi): moles should not be tattooed

2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

The passion for tattoos in recent years has infected more and more people, especially young people. But can skin designs be a risk for skin cancer? What is the relationship between moles, tattoos and the risk of melanoma?

What the Senate-passed bill envisages

Evidently the risk of a connection exists, so much so that the melanoma prevention bill, unanimously approved by the Senate and now back before the House for final approval, is acting on this issue.

The new regulation aims to establish a National Melanoma Prevention Day, to strengthen information and screening campaigns with the involvement of doctors and pharmacies, and above all to introduce a requirement for informed consent for tattooing.

On the link between tattoos and melanoma, the scientific debate is enriched by an online note from Niguarda Hospital, according to which 'tattoos do not increase the risk of melanoma, but they can make diagnosis more difficult. Pigments in fact obstruct the monitoring of moles, whose changes are a sign of transformation into a tumour form. Covering a suspicious mole makes it more difficult to detect its risk characteristics'.

In contrast, a study published in Pnas (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) and conducted by researchers at the University of Italian Switzerland reports that 'the ink from tattoos does not remain on the skin but is absorbed by the body, affecting the immune system'.

Colonna (Idi): moles should not be tattooed

The expert Laura Colonna, head of the Complex Operative Unit of Regenerative and Immunological Clinical Dermatology at Idi, Istituto dermopatico dell'immacolata, explains in turn that 'the subject of tattoos is a very delicate one and is often inaccurately reported. Today there is no solid proof that tattoos directly cause melanoma. The main problem is another: tattoos can hide moles or make it more difficult to control them over time. That is why it is correct to say that moles should not be tattooed and that, in individuals at risk, a dermatological examination before tattooing is a common sense choice'.

"Alongside this, however," Colonna further explains, "in recent years, research has also increasingly started to study the safety of inks. Some pigments may contain impurities or substances that can cause allergies, irritations or inflammatory reactions. The most frequent complications, in fact, are not cancerous but dermatological: infections, allergies, especially with certain colours and chronic skin inflammations. Finally, it must be said that the measure approved by the Senate goes in the right direction because it moves along the three main lines on which melanoma prevention is based today: informing people, diagnosing as early as possible and facilitating access to the dermatologist'.