Is it safe to have a tattoo if you have Polycythemia Vera?

Hi @seamus1010 I found an article on Healthtap.com with the same question you have…Is it safe to have a tattoo if you have Polycythemia Vera?

The answer, according to a doctor on that site is: “Getting a tattoo is no more dangerous for someone with PRV (polycythemia rubra vera) than it is for anyone else.”
https://www.healthtap.com/questions/6613766-i-have-polycythaemia-vera-i-will-make-a-tattoo-is-this-possible-or-should-it-in-this-disease-rat/#:~:text=Dr.%20Eric%20Chevlen%20answered%20Internal%20Medicine%20-%20Oncology,rubra%20vera%29%20than%20it%20is%20for%20anyone%20else.
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That being said…again, it was online, so it is a blanket (general) answer. Each person’s health is different so it would be a good idea for you to directly consult your hematologists office to see if it’s advisable for you to get a new tattoo. With my blood disease, tattoos are off the table because it is a potential source for infection. It’s just better to speak with your own doctor to get their opinion in this case.

Since you’re newly diagnosed with PV, are you currently in any treatment?

Yes, I get my blood drawn regularly, a phlebotomy, and am on hydrea daily. I’ll ask my hematologist.

Also, can I ask? Since your blood is drawn regularly, can your blood be donated? Cause I read that people with polycythemia Vera have thick blood. Don't know if it can be donated.

Hi @favy2. It would be great for someone who needs therapeutic blood draws to be able to use those as a donation. However, Polycythemia Vera (PV) is considered a myeloproliferative neoplastic disease, a condition from a group of blood cancers in which the bone marrow produces too many blood cells, either Red, White or platelets. PV is one of the conditions not allowed for donations at Red Cross blood centers.

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