Mohamad-Ali Salloum is a Pharmacist and science writer. He loves simplifying science to the general public and healthcare students through words and illustrations. When he's not working, you can usually find him in the gym, reading a book, or learning a new skill.
Where does the tattoo ink go?
December 28, 2021
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First, let's see the components of the skin:
- The first layer is called "Epidermis".
- The second layer is called "Dermis".
- The third layer is called the "Hypodermis", where the fat layer is found
When doing a tattoo, the needle penetrates the dermis around 100 times per second to allow the ink to reside in the dermis, which is located 1.5 to 2 mm under the Skin (Epidermis).
There are nerve endings and blood capillaries, and that's why getting a tattoo may be painful and cause bleeding.
Now the question is, how does the tattoo stay in its place?
There are specialized immune cells called "Macrophages". Their role is to engulf foreign bodies and remove them from body tissues. However, this process is only half-successful when the foreign body is the tattoo ink. After that, the macrophages that engulfed the tattoo ink stays in the dermis region and the remaining ink sticks in the thick collagen tissues found in the dermis.
In most cases, the macrophages that engulfed the ink goes to the nearest lymph nodes from the tattoo. Since these cells can't break down the ink, they stay in the lymph nodes.
The side effect is that the lymph nodes will have the same color as your tattoo. Also there is some evidence that ink particles can travel through blood and reside in the liver.
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Mohamad-Ali Salloum, PharmD
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References: Zaniletti I, Larson DR, Lewallen DG, Berry DJ, Maradit Kremers H. How to Distinguish Correlation from Causation in Orthopaedic Research. J Arthroplasty. 2022;38(4):634‑637. [pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov] Association of Health Care Journalists. Correlation vs. Causation. [healthjournalism.org] Rush J, Ajami M, Look K, Margolis A. Statistics Review Part 10: Causality and Confounding. J Pharm Soc Wis. [jpswi.org] Biostat Prime. Correlation vs Causation: Meaning, Differences & Examples. [biostatprime.com] Koopmans E, Schiller C. Understanding Causation in Healthcare: An Introduction to Critical Realism. Qual Health Res. 2022;32(8–9):1207–1214. [pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
References: Very Big Brain. Somatic Memories: How Physical Sensations Trigger Past Memories and Emotions . 2023 Nov 26. [verybigbrain.com] Misattribution of arousal. Wikipedia . 2026. [en.wikipedia.org] Zimbardo P. The Misattribution of Arousal Study (Dutton & Aron) . 2026. [zimbardo.com] Higgins L. Why You Feel Anxious After Drinking Coffee . TIME. 2025 Nov 11. [time.com] Double KS. Metacognitive ability is associated with reduced emotion suppression . Scientific Reports. 2026 Jan 28. [nature.com] Merkebu J et al. What is metacognitive reflection? Front Educ. 2023 Apr 5. [researchgate.net] Meyers S et al. Cognitive Reappraisal is More Effective for Regulating Emotions than Moods . Affective Science. 2025 Jun 6. [link.springer.com]
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