Anesthesia Makes Tattoos Painless—But It’s Probably Not a Good Idea

More people are asking for anesthesia during their tattoo appointments—and it’s raising many concerns. 

Earlier this year, a 45-year-old male influencer died while getting a tattoo under general anesthesia. Unfortunately, he ended up going into cardiac arrest on the table.

Even so, many individuals are still seeking this controversial practice.

“I’ve been working with a lot of celebrities and high net-worth individuals, and they’ve actually been asking me about this for quite some time,” Romeo Lacoste, an LA-based tattoo artist, told USA Today.

“We finally found a way to make it happen and connect the dots and work with some of the top anesthesiologists in Los Angeles,” he insisted. “The facility that we work with is one of the best of the best, so everything that we do is always top-of-the-line and safety first.”

However, Dr. Tiffany Moon, a well-known anesthesiologist, shared the countless dangers of this practice in a recent TikTok video, which she captioned: “STOP having general anesthesia for tattoos- that’s not what it’s for.”

@tiffanymoonmd

STOP having general anesthesia for tattoos- that’s not what it’s for! #anesthesia #tattoo #anesthesiafortattoo @tuzinhotattoo

♬ original sound – Tiffany Moon MD

People Are Requesting General Anesthesia for Tattoos

In the video, there’s a screenshot of another TikTok that features a guy lying on his stomach, seemingly unconscious while getting a back tattoo.

“This guy is having general anesthesia, which the American Society of Anesthesiologists describes [as] not responding to a painful stimulus,” she explained. “Well, he’s got like four guys giving him a back tattoo right now, and I’m pretty sure he’s unresponsive.”

One of the most concerning parts of this situation, however, was that the individual was not intubated, “meaning that we are not controlling his airway,” she continued. 

“You don’t see a tube sticking out of his mouth [where] we’re controlling his oxygenation and his ventilation. In fact, he’s getting supplemental oxygen through some nasal prongs, but the nasal prongs are down … by his chin,” Dr. Moon said. “So, unless his chin skin can absorb oxygen and circulate that around, those prongs aren’t doing anything.”

She then points out the seemingly unnecessary sticker on his head, which is usually used to measure someone’s degree of paralysis.

“But he’s not paralyzed because he’s still breathing on his own—at least for now,” she said. “And then if they give him just a little too much medicine, or it’s really long and the medicine starts to accumulate, and he stops breathing…Well, you’re about to have yourself a Michael Jackson situation.”

“They won’t give me anesthesia for an IUD!!” someone wrote in the comment section of the TikTok video. “This is completely ridiculous. Any doctor that does this in the States should be reported. What happened to taking the pain of a tattoo?”

That’s a great question.