2008 Woodie Awards
Tattoo info
Jennifer DeMoss
Issue date: 4/9/07 Section: Inside WCC
|
Tattoos have a colorful past, and a variety of materials-from soot to plant pigments-have historically been used to darken the skin. Although tattoos are not only acceptable in today's culture, but widely accessible, it's likely that many people have no idea how modern tattoo ink is implanted under the skin, and what exactly the ink is made of.
The ink
A quick search on the Food and Drug Administration's website revealed that, while tattoos inks are considered cosmetics, the inks' contents are not widely regulated. The site's information cautioned that the number of substances added to tattoo inks is growing, although none of the additives are approved for insertion under the skin. Some of the additives are more suitable for printing documents or painting a car.
The term ink is widely used, but erroneous. The substance that is injected under the skin is actually a compound of pigments and carriers.
Joey Singleton, the tattoo artist in residence at S C Tattooing and Body Piercing , said that most pigments are created from mineral salts. For example, the blazing red ink on the flame tattoo encompassing your bald friend's head could be made from iron oxide (a component of rust). Blue ink for that UM tattoo is often composed of calcium copper silicate. Pigments come from a variety of seemingly endless sources.
"Lots of artists make their own ink from a powder," said Singleton, "but lazy artists use the liquid." Singleton includes himself in the lazy artist category, and uses pre-mixed ink from a company that he trusts. However, some artists consider their ink formula to be trade secrets, and refuse to divulge the chemical composition.
Rev. John Schultz is a retired tattoo artist. He said that throughout the twentieth century many tattoo inks had metals that are poisonous in large amounts, "especially colors like red, which has mercury in it. People would go out in the sun and their tattoos would swell. It's just like when mercury rises in a thermometer." His skin, which is heavily tattooed, puffs up in patches when exposed to the sun.
Fluorescent inks are a more recent invention.
"They're not metallic inks," explained Joey's mother Margaret Singleton, who handles the large shop's piercing business. "They're more like glow-in-the-dark crayons."
Margaret and the FDA website cautioned that acrylic pigments, also a more recent invention, can have some strange side effects. "They can turn into a hard plastic under the skin," she said. This is a particular danger for women who have cosmetic tattoos, such as fake eyebrows and eyeliner if they are exposed to an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) machine.
The carriers deliver the pigments under the skin and ensure even distribution-you don't want the ink to turn into a lumpy blob. "They disinfect the ink," added Joey.
"We usually use glycerin or alcohol-based carriers," said Joey, but the list of other carriers is a bit surprising; ethanol, witch hazel, and Listerine top the list. It's worth it to go to a reputable tattoo artist, at least in order to avoid letting some maniac inject strange things under your skin; the FDA warns that an artist once used anti-freeze as a carrier.
The gun
Tattoo guns work more like a sewing machine than an AK47, according to Schultz.
"A tattoo is a mini electromagnet," said Schultz. The machine makes its characteristic drone only when the artist feeds the magnet electricity through the foot pedal.
The basic components that cause the needle to move up and down and insert the ink are the armature bar and the spring.
"The electro-magnet raises the armature bar, which lifts the needle bar," explained Schultz, "and the spring pushes it back down."
Joey Singleton described needled end of a tattoo gun as a kind of calligraphy pen-the artist dips the tip in a pot of ink, which is held inside of a tube until ready for insertion into the skin.
And that's when the pain comes in-the ink must be inserted far enough into the skin so that it won't be sloughed off with dead skin cells. Indiana University's website answered the question, "how deep is your tattoo?" on their "Moment of Science" page.
According to the university experts, tattoos go beyond that first, regenerative layer of skin that is constantly shedding, called the epidermis. Artists insert the ink into the dermis, which is far more stable. Although the ink is only a few millimeters below the skin, it remains somewhat permanently in the dermis unless removed.
Be the first to comment on this story