When you get a tattoo, the ink is inserted via needle into the dermis (the second layer of skin). Your body sees this ink as a foreign invader, and activates the immune system to seek out and destroy the unfamiliar material.
Indeed, some studies have found that tattoo ink creates a sort of "priming effect" for your immune system, whereby the body, on high alert from the pesky tattoo ink, is supposedly better able to detect other infections, noted Lynn, the anthropologist.
The systemic absorption of tattoo inks can be divided into two phases, which relate to the solvent portion and the pigment portion of the inks. During the tattooing process, the tattoo ink is directly absorbed by the body through contact with the surrounding damaged blood vessels and lymphatic vessels.
These cells are well-placed to react in response to damage, such as that caused by a tattoo needle that enters the skin to inject pigment. The ink pigment is regarded as a foreign body, which elicits an immune response in an attempt to clear it.
Surgeons doing biopsies have noted that nearby lymph nodes are sometimes stained with tattoo ink that has been absorbed and then carried off by immune cells. It's possible that, if ferrous particles are present, the migrated ink can affect the appearance of a lymph node in an X-ray.
But what ink is left in the body gets additionally filtered through the lymphatic system. The ink-lymph mixture is carried through the lymph nodes, whose job it is to process and filter harmful substances from the body. None of this is really news — tattooed individuals have displayed pigmented lymph nodes for decades.
Researchers have found that inks used to create tattoos and permanent makeup can spread inside your body, causing long-term swelling in nearby lymph nodes. When it's likely to appear: Ink usually spreads to the lymph nodes as your skin heals from getting the tattoo.
Researchers from the University of Alabama found that people who have extensive tattoos appear to have a higher amount of immune cells, such as antibodies, in their blood. They then concluded that frequent tattooing could act as training for the immune system.
Tattoos reduce stress
Cortisol is a stress hormone. It was tested in the study because cortisol is an immune response suppressant. Multiple tattoos were found to reduce cortisol levels, improving the immune system benefits of tattoos, but also helping with stress reduction.
However, tattoo complications can occur, such as allergic tattoo reactions, infections, and manifestations of autoimmune dermatoses.
A tattoo is acceptable if the tattoo was applied by a state-regulated entity using sterile needles and ink that is not reused.
Now that the ink has been broken up, your lymphatic system will begin to flush the particles out just like a virus. It usually takes about 6 – 12 weeks for the body to finish getting rid of these loosened ink particles.
Macrophages rush to the site of the tattoo to clean up the foreign ink particles. Some of these cells make it back to the liver to get rid of the ink waste while others hang around the site of the tattoo. Since these cells can't dissolve the ink pigment, the ink remains visible through the skin.
The body's natural response to pain is to release endorphins, which can provide temporary pain relief. However, endorphins can also cause feelings of tiredness and drowsiness, which can make you feel even more fatigued after the tattoo process.
Heavy Metals
As such, tattoo inks could be the greatest cause of potential risk to your liver's health. This is because, without standards, cheap inks can contain contaminants, heavy metals, and hazardous ingredients. Some of these dangerous ingredients include but are not limited to: Formaldehyde.
While most people with tattoos won't ever experience irritation because of an MRI, tattoos can also affect the quality of an MRI scan. Even if the tattoo does not become irritated, there still may be metal present in the ink.
For the most part, having a tattoo is an enjoyable experience. It's art you get to wear every single day — something that holds meaning, expresses your style, and becomes a permanent part of your body. But in some cases, tattoos can cause complications later in life.
For many people, getting a tattoo is a way to show the world that they are confident and proud of who they are. For instance, people who have gone through a tough time in their lives often get tattoos as a way to show that they are survivors.
This process can be uncomfortable and may cause your body to release stress hormones, such as adrenaline. Adrenaline is known to increase heart rate and metabolism, which can lead to a temporary increase in calorie burn. However, the calorie burn from getting a tattoo is minimal and short-lived.
Since the macrophages can't break down the ink, they contain the attack on the immune system by staying in place in the dermis, keeping the ink locked away in their vacuoles. As a result, the tattoo design is trapped in the dermis.
This process of renewal is basically exfoliation (shedding) of the epidermis. But the deeper layers of skin, called the dermis, do not go through this cellular turnover and so do not replace themselves. Thus, foreign bodies, such as tattoo dyes, implanted in the dermis will remain."
French researchers say they have found the answer, and it's a little bit surprising. They found that immune system cells called macrophages eat the ink, and then pass it to their replacements when they die. So the tattoo ink doesn't stain skin cells, as many people had believed.
Older tattoos may be raised due to scar tissue
Thicker lines, and more pressure applied during tattooing, can cause some scarring. It's nothing to be concerned about, but it can sometimes raise up, and this is generally caused by changes in body temperature or weather conditions, as well as general health.
Tattoos and complications.
In the preantibiotic era, bacterial complications of tattooing sometimes were severe or even fatal. Today, sepsis after tattooing is extremely rare.
One of the most common problems associated with tattooing is allergic reactions to the tattoo pigments. Itching, bumps, or rashes can occur days, months, or even years after the initial tattoo. These reactions need to be treated with a topical steroid ointment.