A new trend going viral on social media involves people using general anesthesia to get tattoos. However, a doctor has raised a major warning about this practice.
For those afraid of getting tattoos or who can’t stand the pain of the needles, going into a deep sleep with general anesthesia and waking up with a tattoo sounds like a dream, right?
Well, this delicate procedure can come with some complications, as was the case with Brazilian influencer Ricardo Godoi, who died from cardiac arrest at the age of 45 while under general anesthesia to get a large back tattoo.
In a viral TikTok video, anesthesiologist Dr. Tiffany Moon sounded the alarm about this online trend. Specifically, she criticized a video of a man who was under anesthesia for a tattoo but didn’t seem to be properly intubated, a major concern if he were to stop breathing during the procedure.
While Moon emphasized that there’s nothing inherently wrong with using general anesthesia for a tattoo, it’s imperative to ensure it’s done safely. This means making sure the anesthesiologist is certified and the tattoo takes place in an environment with proper medication and equipment available in case of an emergency.
“My concern, as a certified anesthesiologist, is how safe is this when it’s happening?” Moon asked.
“If, for example, it were happening in an outpatient surgical setting where there was rescue equipment available, where a certified anesthesiologist was administering the anesthesia, where the patient was being properly monitored, that would be perfectly acceptable.”
Moon said that if someone has the means to go under general anesthesia safely for a tattoo, she doesn’t see a problem with it. But she stressed that it’s important for people to understand that anesthesia, even when done correctly, never comes without risk.
“You can’t do plastic surgery without anesthesia, but for a tattoo, you can. And that’s exactly what you don’t want. It’s more convenient, or you’d rather not do it because of the pain and time savings.”
Photo and video: TikTok @tiffanymoonmd. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.