Tattoo ink travels along a needle and penetrates your dermis layer, leaving behind an injury. Your body then sends white blood cells called macrophages to heal the wound. However, these macrophages cannot remove ink pigments and remain stuck within the dermis layer. Most of the dye remains in the dermis because tattoo pigments contain compounds that make it difficult for the body to expel them. tattoos become permanent as these cells do not fall off when the epidermis regenerates, continuously digesting the ink until it comes out.
Macrophages Eat the Ink
Tattoo needles deposit water-insoluble pigment into the dermis layer. This pigment settles as water-soluble particles and travels through blood and lymph vessels, which are then detected as foreign invaders by immune cells called macrophages. Macrophages consume the ink particles, utilizing various proteins and acids to digest them. However, large ink droplets remain undestroyed by this mechanism, leading macrophages to retain the ink in the dermis. Even though macrophages eventually die off, fresh macrophages quickly pick up their released ink load, creating a continuous process that gives tattoos longevity.
Fibroblasts Retain the Ink
Tattoo ink particles are deposited into the dermis, where fibroblast cells bind them and cause staining on the skin’s surface. tattoos can remain on the skin for years due to macrophages consuming the ink. When these macrophages die off, they pass their pigment granules to another group of immune cells, keeping the tattoo’s original pattern intact. This process was discovered through atomic force microscopy.
Younger Cells Absorb the Ink
tattoos have become a popular way to express oneself or commemorate significant events. Ink seeps into the dermis layer after penetrating the skin’s protective barrier. In response, the immune system sends cells like macrophages to the injection site, aiming to defend against foreign invaders.
