Are Tattoos Disguising the Early Stages of Skin Cancer?

By: Arsenault Dermatology
Category: Skin Cancer

In today’s world, tattoos are completely acceptable for the most part. Twenty years ago, this wasn’t the case. Men in offices wore long-sleeves shirts to cover their forearm tattoos, and women with tattoos on their ankles or feet were unable to wear sandals.

But here we are in 2017, and it seems like a majority of people have tattoos, and no one seems to mind. But before you get your next one — have you ever considered that those tattoos might be hiding, or disguising, some potential health hazards?

TATTOOS CAN COVER THOSE CRUCIAL EARLY SIGNS OF SKIN CANCER

A good number of tattoo artists and shops have been shown to refuse to cover skin with rashes, lesions or spots. Some artists won’t tattoo over moles, and some will. Many even suggest their clients visit a dermatologist when moles look suspicious.

But what happens over time? You may get a tattoo over perfectly clear skin when you’re twenty years of age — but what about that skin when you’re fifty? We know that tattoos do not cause skin cancer, but it’s possible for them to disguise potential hazards. It is well-known that your best chance of combatting skin cancer, especially Melanoma, is early detection and treatment.

SIGNS OF SKIN CANCER:

An existing mole changes its shape, size or colour
The border or outline of your mole is blurry or irregular
Your mole is several different colours or shades
Your mole is over 6 mm’s in diameter
Your mole has reoccurring bleeding or changing to an open sore — it never seems to heal
Patches of persistently itchy and sore skin develop, and will not go away
A nodule, bump or wart-like growth appears on the skin and remains despite efforts to heal or remove it

It’s recommended to have your skin checked regularly by your local dermatologist, and there are other precautions you can take, such as mole mapping, to closely monitor the changes of your skin over time. If you’re at a higher-risk than the average person, it becomes even more important to pay attention to possible changes.

Visit Arsenault Dermatology offices in Bradenton and Lakewood Ranch areas

If you have any questions about your own skin, our expert dermatologists would be happy to meet with you at your convenience. You can book your consultation at any of our 3 Florida locations — we’re in both North and South Lakewood Ranch, and West Bradenton as well.

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About Arsenault Dermatology

Arsenault Dermatology is one of the most complete dermatology centers in Florida. Founded in 2003 by Dr. Emily Arsenault, an award-winning dermatologist, Arsenault Dermatology offers a full range of skin care services, including skin cancer screenings, outpatient skin cancer surgery, dermoscopy and precision full-body mole mapping and Mohs Micrographic Surgery.

Our practice is a pioneer of innovation, developing programs to greatly reduce wait times and improve patient access. Arsenault Dermatology’s healthcare delivery model sets a new standard in quality and efficiency, both protecting your precious time while simultaneously providing world-class care to all our patients.

Latest Reviews

Subic Station Dito Sailor

Great Dr's. Asked for our normal dermatologist and they gave us some young kid. I know they need experience but not when you are a long established patient.

Jess Cymbal

If you are looking for a good medical dermatology office, I would highly recommend. I will be honest, when I first walked in, I made assumptions based on the “vibe” of the office and the cosmetic derm advertisements. I was exhausted from looking at different dermatologist for my child and figure that I was walking into another office that was focused more on the cosmetic profit side than the medical side. However, especially at this university location, the staff is so nice from the front desk to the nursing staff to the medical staff! I always have Littles in tow and everyone is so sweet to them and very patient with us! Because of the age of our children and the specific needs that we had, we have chosen to only see doctors within the practice rather than physician assistants, but I’m sure that the PAs are great! We first worked with Dr. Arsenault then Dr. Kessler and had a great experience with both. However, I need to give a major shout out to Dr. Ellis, who has seen and treated two of our kids for multiple things and is the absolute best if you are looking for a pediatric dermatologist! She is very knowledgeable, always explains what she is seeing and what she is going to do in a way that you can understand, and helps both of my toddlers feel so comfortable and seen during their procedures! She has a contagious joy and we are so thankful for her care!

Sheilys Yang

My 4 year old daughter has been seen by different providers at Arsenault Dermatology for a couple years now but we recently saw Rachel H., PA for the first time. She started her on medication that was $500 after our insurance. Rachel and her team went above and beyond to get us approved for a higher amount of coverage through the copay assistance program than we had initially been approved for. Without her help we would not have been able to afford the treatment. Rachel truly cares about our daughter’s treatment and we will be scheduling with her moving forward. Thank you!

Holly Glynn

Excellent

Nancy figueroa

Dr Ellis is awesome. I highly recommend her.

Robb Louk

Dr. Ellis is fantastic. She is thorough in preventing as well as treating any medical issues. Great enthusiasm and makes her patients feel comfortable.

Bryan Murdock

I have been going to Dr. Arsenault for years. Every time I go I’m amazed at the staff’s professionalism and the excellent customer service. I would highly recommend Dr. Arsenault and her team.