Long-lasting tattoos
 Why do tattoos stay permanently? I thought we constantly
formed new skin cells. Bert, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Tattoo by Riff at Epic Tattoo in Woodstock, Georgia,
Double Tribal tattoo. Photo courtesy of EpicTattoo/Riff
"A tattoo is made up of [ink] particles embedded in the skin.
Although microscopic, they are too large for the body to remove,"
says James Nachbar, a plastic surgeon in Phoenix who volunteers
time to remove tattoos from ex-gang members.
The body rids itself of foreign specks by engulfing them and
washing them away. White blood cells swallow the offending
matter and clear, watery lymph removes the encased specks. The
bits of tattoo ink, however, are bigger than the white blood cells,
which rules out surrounding them. So tattoos persist because they
defeat the body's cleaning mechanism.
It's true we constantly form new skin cells but mainly in the
epidermis, the topmost layer. Tattoos are down deeper, in the
dermis, a relatively permanent skin layer.
"The tattoo pigment is not within the cells, but in the space between them," adds Dr. Nachbar,
"So replacing the cells doesn't help."
Further Surfing:
Epic Tattoo
Tattoos and permanent makeup, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Plastic and reconstructive surgery, James M. Nachbar, MD, FACS
(Answered April 2000; updated Jan. 1, 2008) |
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