Unregulated rise of medical alert tattoos stirs debate

Ben Roberts, a 33-year-old from Fowlerville, Mich., estimates that medical bracelets and necklaces have cost him more than $1,000 since he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 6.

Frustrated, he headed to a local tattoo parlor four years ago. "It's a negative thing to say, but diabetes isn't going away any time soon," he said. "You might as well get a tattoo."

Today, "Diabetic, Type 1" is tattooed underneath the six-pointed "Star of Life" with a snake running through it, the traditional symbol for emergency medical services.

"It's hard to miss," Roberts said. "I'm happy with it — I've even gotten compliments from doctors and paramedics."

Researchers and tattoo artists agree more people like Roberts are replacing traditional medical ID bracelets, which average around $30 at Walmart, with medical alert tattoos.

But the lack of regulation of the tattoos — which are intended to warn emergency medical personnel about diseases from diabetes to Alzheimer's — means first responders don't always pay attention to them.

"We're not going to stop to read a tattoo in an emergency situation," said Don Lundy, president of the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians. "They can be complicated and hard to read. Medical bracelets and necklaces are what stand out."

There's no hard data on the number of people opting for medical alert tattoos, but Saleh Aldasouqi, a diabetes expert in Michigan, said a quick Google search shows how popular they've become in recent years.

Aldasouqi said despite this popularity, there isn't any medical literature on the tattoos. He has been pushing doctors to start talking about the tattoos to ensure they're done safely and effectively.

"Tattoo artists are artists, so it's hard to mandate any one type of design," said Aldasouqi. "However, organizations like the American Diabetes Association (in the case of diabetic tattoos) could produce guidelines on the optimal placement and general shape for tattoos."

The American Diabetes Association has not, and probably will not, put out guidelines for those seeking medical alert tattoos, said Matt Petersen, its managing director of medical information.

"We do recommend that people with diabetes wear medical IDs," said Petersen. "And we say stick with the traditional medical bracelet. It's what works."

But tattoos offer some benefits that traditional IDs cannot.

"They're convenient," said Nicolas Kluger, a dermatologist from Helsinki, who co-authored a 2013 study about medical alert tattoos with Aldasouqi. "And their permanence can make people feel more comfortable."

Ian Jones, a tattoo artist at True Tattoo in Los Angeles, said that although designs vary, there are some similarities across most medical alert tattoos.

"We usually do them on the wrist, because the first thing paramedics will do is check for pulse," said Jones. "We'll typically do the red medical cross with a single word, like 'diabetes,' underneath."

Nick Barkley, the manager of Tattoo Paradise in Washington, D.C, said he also strives to make sure the medical alert is recognizable while taking into account the customer's design preferences.

"Tattoos in general are more acceptable now than they were in the past," said Barkley. "So we're seeing, and will continue to see, more of them — even for medical purposes."