I figured this story was bound to surface once it was brought to light that people were getting medical tattoos to replace bracelets and other methods of stating a medical condition.
It makes sense that something as permanent as ink is safer than wearing a bracelet or necklace. There’s always the chance that you’ll forget to wear it. Maybe you haven’t had an attack or medical episode in years – so you get lax and just don’t wear it all the time……Then there’s the possibility that you’re in an accident and the jewelry is ripped off.
Asthma Tattoo
So, this woman, Michelle Bryant, had a severe asthma attack while shopping. She was hit suddenly with a severe attack and couldn’t speak. But! by pointing to her wrist tattoo, she alerted the staff to what was going on. By the time the ambulance got there she had almost stopped breathing entirely! She says “Without my tattoo, I do not think I would be alive today. I could not tell anyone what was happening, but the tattoo showed the staff what the problem was, I didn’t have to say a word.”.
It was such a serious attack that she spent 4 days in ICU.
By letting them know what the problem was immediately, the store employees took action immediately and the paramedics knew exactly what was going on.
Michelle has the idea after she lost her medical alert bracelet.
It’s one of the rare incident when a tattoo actually serves a purpose – and what an important one!
:asthma, asthma attack, life, medical, saves, tattoo, warning
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A recent development in the medical world has found a way to use tattoos to help diabetics monitor their blood sugar. People suffering with diabetes have to constantly be pricking their skin to test their blood throughout the day. A professor of pharmaceutical sciences at Northeastern University in Boston developed the tattoo monitor to help make life easier for the twenty-six million Americans that currently live with the disease.
The tattoo is only a few millimeters in size and is made up of nanosensors. These are tiny polymer beads that change color depending on the person’s glucose level. Unfortunately, the tattoo has to be applied weekly but it’s still better than sticking your finger multiple times a day to get a reading. The tattoo does not go as deep as professionally applied tats so it doesn’t hurt as much. It’s has to be applied to the 1st layer of skin to work correctly and it fades after about a week.
The patient just has to scan the tattoo with a handheld device to check the color of the beads. That’ll let them know what their blood sugar reading is.
The worst part is it has to go through about a decade of clinical trials before most diabetics will be able to use the tool. Seems kind of ridiculous for a non-narcotic treatment that can help so many people now.
:diabetes, diabetic, health, medical, monitor, sugar, tattoos
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It is amazing the ways in which people are using tattoos in other ways besides just decorative reasons. Besides that cool idea of a tattoo for runners that is used to time themselves – that was pretty futuristic in my mind – there is now a semi-permanent tattoo that may assist diabetics. Instead of having to prick tender finger tips to test their glucose levels, an infrared light is used to detect glowing nanoparticles injected under the skin. Considering the success and relief this will bring to the large number of diabetics, the team that developed this technology are now exploring it’s use for other chemicals in our bodies. continue reading
:body art, medical, Tattoos-Body Art
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Young people with diabetes are choosing an alternative to the jewelry usually necessary for them to wear in case of a medical emergency. Instead of wearing the bulky, annoying 
