
Tattoo You: Immune System Cells Help Keep Ink in Its Place - happy-go-lucky
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/03/08/591315450/tattoo-you-immune-system-cells-help-keep-ink-in-its-place
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Jaruzel
I _love_ tattoos. I really do. Just not on me.

People go through cycles, where their personalities and interests shift every
decade or so. Hardly anyone in the 40s and 50s is the same person they were in
their 20s. I'm in my 40s now, and I love (in no particular order), Iron
Maiden, Spiderman, Sci-Fi, LEGO, The Amiga Computer, Batman, Star Trek, Star
Wars, Dr Who, Pink Floyd ... and that's just my top ten, _right now_. I
couldn't pick something that iconifies my number one love, and certainly not
something that I will feel the same about in 40 years time. So for now, I am
content to just be a voyeur of other people's awesome tats.

~~~
evincarofautumn
I’ve always wanted a tattoo, still do, but nothing has ever seemed right for
this reason—what will stand the test of time? What _won’t_ I want to remove
from my skin?

Some day I may do something mathematical like a visual proof of a theorem I
care about, or some symbol meaningful to me. Or maybe just something like this
on my wrist:

    
    
        Blood type: A+
        Allergies: Penicillin, Eggs
        If Dead: Cryopreserve

~~~
teeray
I'm sure the blood type and allergies information would be welcome, but the
"if dead" bit may be problematic if you don't follow it up with legal docs.

Recently there was a dilemma in an Emergency Room where a collapsed patient
had a DNR tattoo on their chest: [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-
health/wp/2017/1...](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-
health/wp/2017/12/01/a-man-collapsed-with-do-not-resuscitate-tattooed-on-his-
chest-doctors-didnt-know-what-to-do/)

~~~
evincarofautumn
You’re absolutely right. That was a bit of a joke in reference to exactly that
situation, and in retrospect it didn’t come through.

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jgalt212
I dislike tattoos, and I think tattoos are a strong indicator that the wearer
lacks impulse control.

OK, so now with that flip comment aside. What makes the current generation
lack the impulse control that previous generations had? Or was their lack of
impulse control expressed in other ways? Probably a good psychology thesis
topic.

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mavhc
[https://www.nhs.uk/news/lifestyle-and-exercise/tattoo-ink-
pa...](https://www.nhs.uk/news/lifestyle-and-exercise/tattoo-ink-particles-
can-spread-lymph-nodes/)

and

[https://ec.europa.eu/consumers/consumers_safety/safety_produ...](https://ec.europa.eu/consumers/consumers_safety/safety_products/rapex/alerts/repository/content/pages/rapex/index_en.htm)

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mkj
I guess the same research could help design tattoo inks that don't blur as
much as they age. Let the new macrophages keep the pigment more stationary
somehow.

~~~
failrate
I was thinking along the lines of ink that would degrade less under light
exposure.

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kawera
A paper on the subject:
[http://jem.rupress.org/content/early/2018/03/05/jem.20171608](http://jem.rupress.org/content/early/2018/03/05/jem.20171608)

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agumonkey
A question I had for a long long time. Nice.

