Tattoo Ink and Its Effects on Your Skin
Whether or not tattoo removal is a current consideration at this time, chances are it might be sometime in the future. So the decisions made at the time one has a tattoo put on are very important for they can significantly effect the success of the tattoo removal down the road. The type and color of ink used as well as the professional level of the tattoo artist all play a role in determining the ease and effectiveness of getting it off sometime in the future.
Most tattoo inks technically aren't inks at all but rather a combination of pigments that are suspended in a carrier solution. While some companies claim to use vegetable dyes the reality is most pigments are primarily metal salts. Other pigments are plastics.
Unfortunately, a manufacturer of tattoo ink isn't required to reveal their contents nor is the ink regulated by the FDA or other agencies. Professional tattoo artists rely primarily on the same pigment base found in cosmetics, while amateurs will often use drawing inks such as low grade India ink. These can often contain impurities and toxins which can lead to illness or infection.
Heavy metals used for colors include mercury (red); lead (yellow, green, white); cadmium (red, orange, yellow); nickel (black); zinc (yellow, white); chromium (green); cobalt (blue); aluminum (green, violet); titanium (white); copper (blue, green); iron (brown, black, red); barium (white). Tattoo ink manufacturers typically blend the heavy metal pigments and/or use lightening agents (such as lead or titanium) to reduce production costs.
The carrier is necessary to disinfect the pigment suspension, keep it evenly mixed and provide for ease of application. Some of the most common ingredients used for that purpose are;
Ethanol Purified water Witch hazel Listerine Propylene Glycol Glycerol
When an alcohol is used as part of the carrier base in tattoo ink or to disinfect the skin before the tattoo is applied, it increases the skins permeability, facilitating better transport of chemicals into the bloodstream.
No tattoo leaves the skin unscathed during the process of either getting a tattoo or tattoo removal. When the pigment is injected into the dermal layer of the skin, it does damage to the epidermis, epidermal-junction and the papillary layer (top layer) of the dermis (skin). This actually causes the layers to become homogenized (soft and mushy) right after the tattooing process.
The tattoo process creates an autoimmune response in the body since the skin is damaged and capillaries are broken. The first thing the body wants to do is stop the bleeding by causing swelling as the neutrophils respond to the injury. Neutrophils are phagocyte cells that clean up the damaged area by swallowing up the ink and flushing it through the lymphatic system.
As the healing proceeds, the damaged epidermis flakes away as the ink itself is initially dispersed as fine granules in the upper dermis, (eliminating surface pigment). The ink then gathers into more concentrated areas many days later. This happens as deeper in the skin granulation tissue forms, which is later converted to connective tissues by collagen growth. This mends the upper dermis, where pigment remains trapped within fibroblasts that ultimately concentrate in a layer just below the dermis/epidermis boundary. Once this occurs, the pigment remains stable but throughout the years, it will tend to migrate deeper into the dermis, accounting for the degraded detail of old tattoos.
A majority of people who get tattoos experience very little skin problems but it does happen. Sometimes keloid scars or granulomas develop (red bumps caused by inflammation) and these can provoke allergic reactions, making the skin itch and break out. These allergic reactions can occur with no warning years after getting a tattoo. Dry skin has been known to contribute to this and applying lotion can sometimes relieve it, if that happens to be the cause. Swelling or burning may be experienced if a person were to get an MRI over a tattooed part of the body but the good news is, it shouldn't last long.
It is wise not to get a tattoo over a mole as that will make it harder to detect a cancerous mole growth.
Most skin problems, if they occur, happen when the tattoos are removed. Not only is tattoo removal quite painful but quite often, depending on the process used, there is some scarring following the procedure.
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