Nowadays, tattoos are extremely popular, no doubt about it. Anywhere from 40 to 50 million Americans have at least one. They are widely accepted in today’s society and used to convey a message. People want tattoos because they mean something to them, they are a way to express their personality and identity.

Tattoos don’t disappear with time, we all know that, but did you ever wondered why? How come they don’t just fade away over time? In this article, we will try to shed some light on this matter.

In order to understand how tattoos work, we must know the composition of our skin. There are three layers of skin. The first one, epidermis, is the outer layer and acts as a barrier of protection. The second one, called the dermis, is a complex structure filled with blood vessels, nerve endings, hair follicles, oil glands, collagen, elastin, fibroblasts, etc. The third layer, hypodermis, is a fatty subcutaneous tissue below the dermis.

OK, so where do tattoos go? They go into the second layer of the skin - the dermis. And why are they permanent? Because the dermis stays more or less the same for our entire life.

Every day, epidermis sheds a massive amounts of dead skin cells. Did you know that dust is mostly made of dead skin cells. Yep, our skin is constantly being regenerated. This is the reason why tattoos must be injected into the dermis. If they’re not deep enough, they will just fade away.

If the ink is injected to deep into the third layer of the skin called hypodermis, it will look smeared and blurry. Going to deep can also cause pain, bleeding, and even infection.

When getting a tattoo, it’s important to choose an experienced artist. Tattooing requires talent and years of practice. Or perhaps, you want something that will fade away or look blurred?

Tags: Tattoos