Synopsis : Scientists at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine in Switzerland spent seven years tracking what happens to tattoo ink after it enters the skin, revealing that the ink does not stay put. Researchers found that immune cells called macrophages — which normally capture bacteria and viruses — absorbed the ink. However, instead of breaking down the pigment, these cells died.

A person walks into a tattoo parlour, sits through hours of needlework, and admires the fresh design. What they don’t see: Millions of pigment particles already moving through their body, travelling towards lymph nodes where they will remain for months, changing how the immune system functions.

Scientists at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine in Switzerland spent seven years tracking what happens

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