The reason why tattoo carved once disappears reveals at the cell level

ByLindsay

Skin will be renewed as everyday, but once tattoos carved it will never disappear. As a reason not to disappear, "tattoo exists far behind the reborn skinDermisIn order to draw a picture in the part, I recognized it as a woundMacrophageIt absorbs with each dye and continues to live forever. "It was thought that as long as the macrophages that absorbed the dye remained, it would not disappear. However, research indicates that macrophages are not living forever, but even if they died, it was revealed that they took over the pigment to another macrophage.

Unveiling skin macrophage dynamics explains both tattoo persistence and strenuous removal | JEM
http://jem.rupress.org/content/early/2018/03/05/jem.20171608?PR=

New insight into what makes it tattoos last forever can improve laser removal techniques
https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/tattoo-last-forever-macrophages-0432423/

According to Mr. Sandrine Henri and Mr. Berner Marissen of the Center for Immunology at Marseille · Ruminee, "It has been thought that tattoos have remained for the rest of their lives because the macrophages had been living forever, keeping pigment However, in reality macrophages also have a lifespan of about a few years, even if they died, I found that they were handing the tattoo pigment that they held to other macrophages, "said Macrophage Even if it dies, it seems that the mechanism by which pigment is handed over to new macrophages was found out.

In research, first tattooed the mouse tail like the image on the left, then genetically manipulate and destroy the macrophages present in the tail. Then, after several weeks, I confirmed that the new macrophages moved to the dermis part of the tail, but it turned out that there was hardly any change in the pigment that existed in the tail as shown in the image on the right.


When analyzed in detail at the cell level, macrophages that retain the green pigment like the image on the left, release the pigment when it dies (center). After that, I heard that the new macrophage gathered the green pigment like the image on the right side and returned to its original state.


The discovery of this mechanism is thought to have the possibility of leading to efficient tattoo removal surgery. Laser surgery is commonly used to remove tattoos, but there were problems that they had to undergo surgery many times and that they could not be completely removed.

According to Marissen, "By combining existing laser surgery and temporary removal of macrophages present in the area of ​​tattoos, effective tattoo removal can be done," he says. Removal of macrophages present in the area of ​​tattoos will not revive for a while, so if pigment components of tattoos are destroyed with a laser during that time there is a possibility that pigment may be discharged through the lymph duct.