RIDGE RUNNER CHRONICLES: “Tattoo Black-Outs” and Your Immune System

By Editor | January 20, 2026 |

I recently read about a lawsuit in California involving “Kat von D,” a renowned tattoo artist and social influencer, who was sued by Jeffrey Sedlik, a professional photographer, regarding a photograph taken of Miles Davis, the musician, by Sedlik. “Kat von D” was sued by Sedlik because she used his Miles Davis photograph as the format for a tattoo that she “inscribed” on the arm of one of her customers. It was claimed in the lawsuit that her rendition of the photograph infringed on Sedlik’s copyright. The suit was for millions but a jury this past week determined that Kat von D’s rendition was sufficiently varied from the photograph that there was no copyright infringement.
I was intrigued with this story because I was wondering what would have happened if the jury had found that there was an infringement; could the customer also be sued for displaying the infringed copyright? Would the tattoo have to be removed from the arm of the customer? Or would the entire arm have to go? Obviously, as an octogenarian, I don’t “get” this obsession with having multiple tattoos that our younger generation has. If you really want to “stand out” in a younger crowd, maybe you should not get any tattoos at all.
The backstory involving Kat von D is puzzling. Until recently, she was covered with tattoos. But now she has decided that she “is done with tattoos” and she has now “black-outed” her tattoos, meaning that instead of having them removed, she has covered most of her tattoos with one huge black tattoo that covers 80% of her body. She did not black-out her face, and we can only speculate as to what other body parts were not “black-outed.” At some point in the future, if she again likes tattooing, maybe she can put white tattoos on the black background that she has created. Or perhaps lime green would be a head-turner. Unfortunately, other young commentators admire her new look and since she is “an alleged influencer,” (“gulp”) maybe others will follow. (You can see what she has done to herself by checking out the “Kat von D tattoo blackout” on YouTube.)
Maybe these folks need to know that the use of tattoo inks has recently raised questions whether these inks are safe. There is growing clinical evidence that these inks are adversely impacting both our immune systems and the vaccinations that are being used to support our immune systems. In a recent issue of the weekly publication of the National Academy of Sciences, there is an article noting that clinical studies suggest that tattoo inks seem to be permanently lodging in the lymph nodes shortly after the tattooing process has occurred, causing the lymph nodes to become abnormally inflamed over an extended period. It also appears that following tattooing, unexpected responses are occurring to various vaccines, including the smallpox vaccine being administered to our tattooed military personnel. The gist of it is that until now, there is an insufficient amount of scientific studies as to the extent to which tattoo inks, which contain a variety of pigment binders, solvents and other additives, are adversely affecting the immune system.
If the ink from one large tattoo can impact the lymph nodes, as suggested by this NAS article, just think what a full-body “black-out” tattoo could do. But I’m just an old octogenarian; why should I have an opinion about tattoos?
Note: The National Academy of Sciences article mentioned above can be found at www.pnas.org in the December 16 edition—scroll down to the research section at the bottom.
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■ Bill Hoagland has practiced law in Alton for more than 50 years, but he has spent more than 70 years hunting, fishing and generally being in the great outdoors. His wife, Annie, shares his love of the outdoor life. Much of their spare time is spent on their farm in Calhoun County. Bill can be reached at [email protected].