Tegaderm tattoo: Once you have chosen your favorite motif. Let’s get started: When tattooing, tattoo ink is inserted up to two millimeters deep into the skin with needles of different sizes and shapes. Through the top layer of skin (epidermis) to the underlying leather skin (dermis).
The color pigments are then stored in the dermis for a long time. Parts of the color that got into the epidermis during tattooing are lost again with the natural skin renewal process. This takes about three to four weeks. So this kind of “fading” is a completely natural process and does not mean that your Tegaderm tattoo artist did a bad job.
HOW IS TATTOO COLOR COMPOSED?
The commercially available tattoo colors consist of a mixture of solid and liquid components. The solid part consists of pigments in the form of tiny particles that cannot be seen with the naked eye. These pigment particles (e.g. black, red, green, blue) are responsible for the respective color of the tattoo. The liquid part essentially consists of solvents and preservatives as well as various auxiliary substances.
The different ingredients in a tattoo color can lead to allergic skin reactions. If you have an allergy to one or more of these substances. Talk to your tattoo artist about the tattoo colors that are used in the studio. And, just in case, have them give you a photo of the color manufacturer’s ingredients. There you will also find the product numbering (badge code) for tracking the color.
WHAT HAPPENS TO THE TATTOO COLOR AFTER IT HAS BEEN STUNG?
You may have noticed tattoo ink sticking to the bandage. This is because some of the colors are lost to the outside during the tattoo healing process. This can also discolor the crust that forms as it heals. Don’t worry, this is perfectly normal.
For the skin, the tattoo color is a foreign body that has to be broken down again. Therefore, during the wound healing process, a large part of the Tegaderm tattoo color is transported away via the lymphatic system. Especially smaller color pigments as well as the soluble components and auxiliary substances. Part of the tattoo color, primarily larger color pigments that cannot be transported, remain in the skin (dermis). And are therefore the heart of your Tegaderm tattoo.
IN WHICH SKIN LAYER ARE THE COLOR PIGMENTS STORED?
01 | THE EPIDERMIS
In healthy skin, the epidermis renews itself about every three to four weeks. The cells of this skin layer are created by cell division in the basal cell layer. At the border between the epidermis and the dermis. The cells of the top layer of the epidermis – the so-called stratum corneum – are held together by lipids and thus form a solid cell network that protects the skin from the penetration of microorganisms and foreign bodies. That is why it is also called the skin barrier. When a Tegaderm tattoo is pierced, color pigments automatically reach the top layer of skin. These color pigments are removed with the natural skin renewal process.
02 | THE DERMIS
The dermis contains a dense system of collagens, proteoglycans, and elastic fibers. That ensures the skin’s tear strength and elasticity and supports the cells of the dermis in their collagen fiber network. This is where the color pigments are stored for permanent tattoos. The dermis is also traversed by blood and lymphatic vessels. In addition to the sweat glands. There are also hair follicles with sebaceous glands and a large number of immune cells that play an important role in wound healing after a tattoo has been inked.
03 | THE SUBCUTIS (LOWER SKIN)
The subcutaneous tissue consists mainly of fat cells and connective tissue.
HOW MUCH COLOR PIGMENT REMAINS IN THE SKIN?
Depending on the tattooing process and the Tegaderm tattoo color used. The amount of color pigment varies. However, the original concentration of the pigment particles can be reduced by up to 80% within a short time. This reduction happens through
- Washing out during the natural wound healing (wound exudate) of the Tegaderm tattoo.
- Destruction of the color pigments by UV rays.
- Removal from the skin via the lymphatic system.
The remaining color pigment particles form the color in the skin that makes up your tattoo. Highly effective UV protection and strengthening of the collagen fiber network with special Tegaderm tattoo anti-aging products ensure that the skin is strengthened. And your tattoos retain their color brilliance and expressiveness for a long time.
HOW DO THE DIFFERENT COLOR PERCEPTIONS IN TATTOOS COME ABOUT?
The light ensures that Tegaderm tattoo colors are perceived differently. When it falls on the skin and penetrates it, it is absorbed by the pigment particles embedded in the skin. If the pigments absorb light in the entire spectrum of visible light. The result is a black tattoo for the viewer. If only part of the visible light is absorbed, the result is a colored tattoo ranging from blue to yellow to green and red. By regularly using special tattoo care and UV protection products. You can ensure that the color brilliance of your tattoo is maintained is preserved for a long time.
