Scientists were already aware that pigments from tattoo ink can travel to the lymph nodes, critical components of the immune system that help fight off viruses and bacteria. Cutting edge X-ray technologies have now provided a look at what much smaller, and more toxic particles within the ink get up to, suggesting that these too can make the migration. "We already knew that pigments from tattoos would travel to the lymph nodes because of visual evidence: the lymph nodes become tinted with the color of the tattoo," says Bernhard Hesse, one of the two first authors of the new study. What we didn't know is that they do it in a nano form, which implies that they may not have the same behavior as the particles at a micro level.
Tattoo ink can seep deep into the body: study
AFP
Can your tattoos leave behind toxic ink that could affect your immune system?
