Underlying Mechanism
Tattooing involves the introduction of pigments into the skin’s dermis. The pigments remain trapped in a layer below the boundary between the epidermis and the dermis.
Tattooing involves the introduction of pigments into the skin’s dermis which lies beneath the epidermis, the outermost layer of the skin.
After the initial process the pigments are evenly dispersed giving a homogenous appearance in the dermis and epidermis. The presence of the foreign material, in the form of pigment particles, activates the body’s immune system.
Once healing sets in, the damaged epidermis forms flakes and eliminates the surface pigments. The pigment in the deeper skin layers gives rise to granulation tissue, which is in turn converted to connective tissue.
The upper dermis layer is thus healed but the pigment particles remain trapped in a layer below the boundary between the epidermis and the dermis. With time, the pigments travel deeper into the layers of the dermis. This accounts for the faded look of the old tattoos.
