September 30, 2025
benjamin lehman/UNSPLASH.COM
Findings from a recent study about the impact of tattoos on skin cancer were mixed: People with multiple tattoos had a reduced risk of melanoma, but people with just one tattoo had a higher risk.
It may seem counterintuitive, but new research suggests that people with multiple tattoos may be at lower risk of developing melanoma – the most dangerous type of skin cancer.
People with three or more large tattoos had a 74% lower risk of developing melanoma, and people with four or more a 56% lower risk compared to people without tattoos, according to the study recently published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
"The results that tattoos could decrease melanoma risk surprised us. But this isn't a black and white case of 'get more tattoos, and you could lower your risk of melanoma,'" Rachel McCarty, the study's first author, said in a release. "Instead, we need to do more research to understand what we are seeing and if this decreased risk is simply due to behavioral or physical factors, or if there could be beneficial immune responses associated with tattooing that lower melanoma risk."
Previous research has linked tattoos with an increased risk of lymphatic cancer. A recent Pew Research Center survey found that 32% of Americans have one tattoo and that 22% have more than one.
With a growing acceptance of tattoos in America – and an increasing number of people with tattoos – researchers at the Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah wanted to see whether getting tattoos raised the risk of developing melanoma.
To test this hypothesis, the researchers examined data from 7,000 people, including 1,167 people who had been diagnosed with melanoma. Among those with melanoma, 12% had tattoos, compared to 15% of people without melanoma.
But the findings had an important exception: People who had only one tattoo were actually more likely to have melanoma than people without tattoos.
"For melanoma, the results seem to be mixed," Jennifer Doherty, a Huntsman Cancer Institute investigator, said in the release. "But we see people with two, three, and four tattoo sessions having decreasing risk, and that's a stronger pattern than the increased risk with just one session."
The American Cancer Society estimates melanoma will cause 104,960 new cases and 8,430 deaths this year.
The study did not look at why multiple tattoos may reduce melanoma risk. Tattoos may help protect against damaging ultraviolet rays or may spur some kind of immune response to precancerous cell growth, the researchers said.
They also suggested that tattoo artists advising clients to wear sunscreen may be a factor in reduced melanoma risk.
More studies are needed about the relationship between tattoos and skin cancer, the researchers said.
