title: Malignant Melanoma Arising in Red Tattoo Ink.
abstract: We report the case of a 33-year-old male who presented with a malignant melanoma on his anterior chest wall. The lesion was only found in the red ink pigment of the tattoo, as were several in-transit dermal metastases. Possible explanations include a pre-existing lesion which was seeded with red ink or the possibility of the red ink causing an inflammatory reaction leading to malignant transformation. This is the first reported case of a melanoma developing in the red ink pigment of a multi-colored tattoo.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic Surgery, University Hospital Galway, Galway, Ireland. ; National University of Ireland, Gaillimh, Ireland.
authors.forename: Cormac Weekes
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Joyce
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic Surgery, University Hospital Galway, Galway, Ireland.
authors.forename: Gerald
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Duff
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Sligo Regional Hospital, Sligo, Ireland.
authors.forename: Dermot
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: McKenna
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic Surgery, University Hospital Galway, Galway, Ireland. ; National University of Ireland, Gaillimh, Ireland.
authors.forename: Padraic James
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Regan
keywords: Cutaneous; Melanoma; Skin