Summary of Your Tattoo is INSIDE Your Immune System. Literally
00:00:01"Your tattoos are literally inside your immune system. Your skin, your largest organ, acts as a conveyor belt of dead skin cells that constantly shed and are replaced. Below this layer lies the dermis, where your new tattoo is inked. The tattooing process causes the skin to explode, damaging cells and allowing bacteria to enter. Your immune system responds by sending macrophages to kill bacteria and defend your body."
00:03:08The process of getting a tattoo involves creating wounds on your skin and injecting ink into the dermis. This activates your immune system, causing inflammation and swelling. The ink can contain toxic substances like heavy metals, which your immune cells try to eliminate by engulfing them. However, the ink particles are too large to be completely destroyed, so your immune cells surround and trap them instead. Over time, as old immune cells die, new cells continue the process of containing the ink. This is why tattoos are essentially permanent.
00:05:57When you get a tattoo, most of the ink stays in place, but some of it can escape and spread throughout your body. This is why tattoo ink should ideally be non-toxic. When you remove a tattoo with lasers, the ink particles are heated and broken down, but new immune cells called Macrophages rush in to lock the ink in place. This shows how your immune system protects you. Tattoos may not be a big deal for your body if done correctly, but it's important to appreciate the sacrifice of your immune system. To learn more about topics like this, you can explore interactive lessons on Brilliant.org, which offers a 30-day free trial and a 20% discount for Kurzgesagt viewers.
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