We all know the basics of getting a tattoo. You and your artist craft your kickass design, the artist masterfully pokes ink into your skin, and voilà… you’re a walking Van Gogh for life.
But what’s really going on under the surface while you’re getting tatted?
To understand the science behind our favorite obsession, we need to take a look under the skin.
So buckle up and let’s dive in, because we rented the f*cking Magic School Bus.
That was a lie… We asked PBS, but they charge too much. Public my ass.
We’re All Three-Layer Cakes
The skin has three distinct layers:
The epidermis is the very top layer of skin. It protects your body from harm.
The dermis is right below the epidermis. This layer contains your sweat glands, lymphatic vessels, hair follicles, and lots of nerve endings.
Below the dermis is a layer of fat and connective tissue called the hypodermis. This layer insulates the body and connects your skin to other tissues.
See? It’s a big meaty skin cake. Just please don’t eat it. We’re not high on f*cking bath salts here.
So, What Happens When You’re Tattooed?
When your skin is tattooed, the artist’s needle drives ink past the epidermis, into the dermis. Because this layer contains your skin’s nerve endings, this causes an immediate pain response.
As the needle pokes your skin and ink enters your body, this disruption also triggers an immune response. The body sends special cells called macrophages to attack the ink. Because the ink is a foreign substance, these little guys try to eat and destroy it. Unlike other things they attack, like viruses and bacteria, the tattoo ink is indigestible to these cells.
So, what do these little guys do?
Because the macrophages think they are actively fighting an invader, they stay in the same spot for the rest of their lives, like good little soldiers. When they die and release the ink, a new macrophage will step in and eat the ink again, keeping your art in place.
Damn, they’re dedicated.
What Happens When Sh!t Goes Wrong?
Those dreaded infections?
Your new work of art is technically an open wound, and bacteria wants to get in there like it’s Black Friday 1983 and your cells are god damn cabbage patch dolls.
And what's the biggest cause of infection?
The artist.
Dirty needles, improper sterilization, and infected ink can all f*ck you up. That’s why it’s important to go to a reputable artist who maintains a sterile environment. And if they’re not wearing gloves, run out of there before they can put a grubby finger on you. You don’t know where that hand has been.
Seriously, you don't know what they do when no one's looking.
Think Your Skin is All You Have to Worry About?
Think again.
When you get a tattoo, your skin alerts the rest of your body that it’s under attack. Because of this alert, your entire body will react in the same way it does when it goes into shock. This can cause a drop in blood sugar, so be sure to eat and hydrate before getting a tattoo.
If the pain becomes too severe for too long, your body will enter a heightened state of shock. This is one reason why artists prefer to handle larger tattoos in multiple smaller sessions. But what if you could sit through a longer tattoo session with fewer breaks?
Get the Most Out of Your Tattoo Experience…
With the FKit™, you can sit through up to four hours of completely pain-free tattoo work without taking breaks because of the pain.
That means you’ll actually save money when you’re paying by the hour.
Commit to a pain-free tattoo.
