What is a Tattoo?

We see tattoos everywhere; some look cool and some look real bad. But what are they? How do they work?

In basic terms, a tattoo is ink in the skin. When someone gets a tattoo, the tattoo needle punctures the skin and injects ink in to the dermis layer of skin. The dermis layer of the skin is the second layer, it is underneath the epidermis layer of skin. Why do they place the ink in the dermis layer? Well, because the skin cells in that area are much more stable; since the skin cells in the area are much more stable, the ink remains in place better and is less likely to spread and ruin any tattoo designs. If it was injected in the epidermis layer, the ink would have an easier time moving and fading would happen much faster since we shed the epidermis layer over time.

Tattoos are done by hand; if you were to walk into a tattoo parlor, you would see the tattoo artist with a needle and their machine full of inks. You tell them what design you want and where you want it. It is run by a motor and electricity and the needle is connected to the machine via a tube and that is where the ink makes its way to the needle. Now, either the tattoo parlor will thoroughly sterilize all their equipment or some parlors will use disposable needles where they throw a needle away after each use.

A tattoo can take as little as 20 minutes or a few hours, it depends on what you get. They can also take more than one session. Similar to laser tattoo removal where a removal will take multiple sessions. As a Chicago tattoo removal studio, we can tell you that the smaller or more basic the tattoo, the easier it is to remove it. Also, a tattoo done by an amateur is easier to remove. While tattoos are almost permanent, they can be removed; however, some will not be able to be removed 100 percent.

If you are curious about removal and have questions about the R20 procedure, contact our Chicago tattoo removal studio.