Contact dermatitis
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Tattoos are not mentioned as a source of exposure to nickel. Traces of nickel are, however, almost inevitably found in tattoo inks as impurities and sometimes in tattooed skin. Whether nickel in tattoos has any health consequence is debated. ⋯ We found no report of any systemic complication attributed to nickel from tattoos. The Council of Europe ResAP(2008)1 bans the presence of nickel at high levels in tattoo inks, which is a safety net for individuals with nickel allergy. Large epidemiologic case-control studies with systematic biopsies on normal and inflamed tattoos and patch testing would help to understand the role of nickel in tattoo ink allergies.