“The idea for our study came about because I was interested in what happens when laser light is used to remove tattoos,” says John Swierk, a researcher at the State University of New York. “I then realized that very little was known about the composition of tattoo inks, so we started to analyze the most used brands”.
Although the inks are injected under the skin, they are not considered medical products. There are therefore no specific pigments for these inks for dermatological use. The pigments used are the same as for paint or the textile industry. They are simply mixed with a carrier solution which transports the pigments through the skin barrier to the middle layer of the skin. These pigments are also frequently denounced by the National Syndicate of Dermatologists-Venereologists (SNDV) who often treat patients who are allergic to tattoo inks.
Particles that cross the cell membrane
American researchers have therefore used a variety of techniques such as nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy or electron microscopy to study the molecular composition of tattoo pigments. And what they discovered is not necessarily reassuring.
About half of the inks studied contained particles smaller than 100 nm. “It’s a size range (…)
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