“The earliest recorded tattoo was found on a Peruvian mummy in 6,000 BC. That’s some old ink! And considering humans lose roughly 40,000 skin cells per hour, how do these markings last? Claudia Aguirre details the different methods, machines and macrophages (you’ll see) that go into making tattoos stand the test of time.” (YouTube)
Have you ever wondered what makes tattoos permanent? It’s a deeper issue than you think. The basic gist is that you have to get the pigment into a deeper layer of the skin (the dermis) than just the outermost layer (the epidermis) that gets shed. The resulting response by the immune system plays a big part in what makes tattoos permanent.
It’s actually rather fascinating, and makes me even more not want to get a tattoo! Onwards!