octors have resently found a possible side effect of the body art--they may take the bulge out of your biceps.

In the July 18th issue of Annals of Internal Medicine, doctors from Israel report on three cases in which young men who had recently gotten tattoos began losing muscle in the surrounding area. All had tattoos on the upper body and suffered the muscle meltdown in their shoulders and arms. Two also had nerve damage.

There was no other explanation for the mysterious muscle wasting, and unfortunately, the damage is permanent, Dr. Israel Steiner of Hadassah University Hospital in Jerusalem told Reuters Health. Exactly how a tattoo would trigger muscle atrophy is unclear, he said, but the possibilities include injury from the needle, bad technique on the part of the tattoo artist, or the pigment in the tattoo ink. Some research, he noted, has suggested tattoo pigment contains potentially toxic compounds.

Steiner noted that as far as he knows, this is the first time tattoos have been linked to muscle wasting.

"Nevertheless," he said, "I think that it is a side effect of tattooing, and individuals considering (a tattoo) should be aware that it can happen."

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