To say tattoo culture is big at the moment would be a major understatement. Long gone are the days when tattoos were reserved for ancient mummified human remains or indigenous Japanese individuals. Today, it seems everyone’s neighbour and their dog has some sort of ink.

For every tattoo in existence, there must be at least 100 phrases that parents and other tattoo naysayers throw around in discouragement.

Let’s be honest. Some of the reasoning is pretty fair. After all, ink does stay with you for the rest of your life.

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But there’s good news, kids. Thanks to a recent study by the University of Alabama, you now have something to fire back with. Getting multiple tattoos can actually boost your immune system significantly.

And it doesn’t require a crazy amount of tattoos, either – after the second or third is when your body will begin to see an increase in antibodies.

Researchers noticed huge decreases in antibody immunoglobulin A for study participants getting their first tattoos. However, the decreases were very slight in those adding a second tattoo to their collection, which researchers believe is due to a stronger immune response.

Dr. Christopher Lynn, anthropology professor at the University of Alabama, explains this:

“After the stress response, your body returns to an equilibrium. However, if you continue to stress your body over and over again, instead of returning to the same set point, it adjusts its internal set points and moves higher.”

The study only involved 29 participants, so while the findings are pretty promising, you’ll still want to run your tattoo plan by the less strict of your parents. But, researchers are currently planning a second, more extensive round of study, as it appears there are some benefits that come from tattooing.

So, if you were planning on getting a tattoo, congratulations. You’ve got one more reason to go for it.

Of course, if you’re simply aiming to boost your immune system, there are easier methods than getting inked.

Check out this article from David Wolfe on the topic, as well as the video below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ip9jBJYHXmg

[h/t: www.thespiritscience.net]