The skin is one of organs that constantly renew itself. After that was proven, dermatologists asked mselves why tattoos don't disappear pretty quickly. Logically, it was soon assumed that ink would be permanently housed in special cells that do not constantly die off and peel off. Now, through work of two French researchers, it turns out that this assumption is completely wrong.

Pigment in immune cells

For a long time, researchers assumed that ink would be stored in connective tissue cells (fibroblasts) in a deeper layer of skin. On closer scrutiny, however, it became apparent that re are immune cells that absorb foreign matter – colour pigments. If skin is injured during tattooing process, such cells are practically ordered to place of action. They are intended to combat infections and to make invading substances harmless. They take, according to previous ory, ink pigment and remain on site for rest of life, beautiful blue, or black or colourful. But that's right, so it turns out, only in part: What remains is just ink, not cells. Even in skin, life is always a dynamic process. Cells grow, divide constantly, die and are eaten up and replaced by ors. This also applies to those immune cells, called "feeding Cells" (Macrophagen), which absorb tattoo pigment.

The fact that tattoo stays on spot for a lifetime is not because se feeding cells would live forever, but rar because y are exchanged again and again. And it is evident, above all, that new macrophages are extremely efficient in not only overtaking defensive function of ir predecessors, but also ink pigments.

Body Restoration

Sandrine Henri and Bernard Malissen of Centre immunology in Marseille-Luminy examined mice whose tails were tattooed. In part, animals were genetically modified in such a way that feeding cells could be targeted for extinction. If idea of eternally living macrophages, in which dye remains forever, had been tuned, n this death would have to have exactly one consequence: dye would have spread in tissues and would eventually have been evacuated via lymphatic system. In fact, he remained on spot, because newly immigrating feeding cells, whose precursors had been sitting in bone marrow weeks before, recorded dye directly on spot. And when a mouse was transplanted a piece of tattoo from anor, a few weeks later almost only new feeding cells formed by receiver Mouse were found in tattoo. These were all fully pumped with ink pigment.

Malissen and Henri present ir findings in Journal of Experimental Medicine. They show that a tattoo is basically a picture that is constantly and repeatedly copied and restored on spot, including recycling paint. and "Pure biological".

Probably reason why tattoos become blurred over years and fade away is likely to be a problem in this process. So far, re have been only hypotical explanations: cells would shift somewhat over time; Weakening connective tissue would pull m with m; Or cells would lick a little over time. Now it looks as if replacement cells can no longer accurately take place of ir predecessors and as if at each such process a little pigment lost.

The results have so far not been of practical significance. For those who want to get rid of a tattoo, y could still be important. Because re are people who are no longer in love with Renate or see that antlers belong only to heads of deer.

Block immune cells, eliminate tattoos

Henri and Malissen, in any case, believe that it might be useful to prevent feeding cells from immigrate into skin when removing tattoos. This would prevent ink released by laser from being re-absorbed. She could n, so take two authors of study, to be evacuated with lymph and ultimately land in urine and in toilet.

The philosophical meaning, however, should be clear: tattoos are not lifeless images, but very vivid. They are not forever and ever, but always new. They are not a being but a constant becoming. Like life itself.

Date Of Update: 10 March 2018, 12:03