On Tuesday, Dec 17, 2002, at 19:40 Australia/Perth, Denise Arcoverde 
wrote:

> There is a question from a mother in our Breastfeeding Forum (in our
> website) and I was wondering if you could help us. She is 
> breastfeeding and
> want to have a new tatoo with her baby´s name and she is asking if the
> material used to make the tatoo can be passed to her breastmilk...

No - the ink is taken up by the local macrophages and regional lymph 
nodes. (I have a paper here on the histology of tattoos I can send by 
private email on request.) The older heavy metal inks (some contained 
mercury, for example) should never be used these days.

More important is that she be in very good physical health at the time 
of the tattoo, and that she go to an excellent practitioner who runs an 
absolutely clean shop - an acute Hepatitis B or C while breastfeeding 
would be a Bad Thing. Where is she located? I can find some 
recommendations.

If it were me - I'd wait till after weaning, or at least until 
breastfeeding is very well established. Unscientific, but I figure your 
body is doing enough just producing all that milk, it doesn't need to 
trying to heal a tattoo at the same time. She might consider 
supplementing with Vitamin C and zinc while healing, and make sure she 
knows about the LIMA method of healing (Leave It Mostly Alone). Too 
many goopy products full of junk are plastered all over tattoos, when 
all they need is a bit of washing with plain water on the first day, 
and a bit of lubricating with a _plain_ emollient after that - no 
topical antibiotics, no comfrey cream, etc etc.

More off topic advice by private email if you like!

Lara "staff of Aesclepius, right lower leg" Hopkins
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