The Science of Getting (and Getting Rid of) a Tattoo
Why are tattoos permanent? How do you deliver the ink? And how do you remove a tattoo if you no longer want it? Hosted by: Michael Aranda ---------- Support ...
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Nearly one in five people in America has a tattoo. So these permanent, portable pieces of art are clearly an important part of our culture -- but how do they work? What makes a tattoo permanent, and can you really get rid of it? Well, tattoos work by taking advantage of the structure of your skin, and the composition of the ink that’s used. Your skin, for starters, is made up of three main layers of cells. On top, there’s the epidermis, which is exposed to the environment. Below that, there’s the dermis, and it’s full of hair follicles and sweat glands. And below that, you find the subcutaneous layer of fat and connective tissue. A tattoo needle drives the ink all the way through the epidermis. But it doesn’t actually inject the ink -- instead, it’s coated with pigment, kind ...
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Nearly one in five people in America has a tattoo. So these permanent, portable pieces of art are clearly an important part of our culture -- but how do they work? What makes a tattoo permanent, and can you really get rid of it? Well, tattoos work by taking advantage of the structure of your skin, and the composition of the ink that’s used. Your skin, for starters, is made up of three main layers of cells. On top, there’s the epidermis, which is exposed to the environment. Below that, there’s the dermis, and it’s full of hair follicles and sweat glands. And below that, you find the subcutaneous layer of fat and connective tissue. A tattoo needle drives the ink all the way through the epidermis. But it doesn’t actually inject the ink -- instead, it’s coated with pigment, kind ...
