How Many Layers Of Skin Does A Tattoo Go Through?

How Many Layers Of Skin Does A Tattoo Go Through
Just How Far Does The Needle Go? – Now that you know a little more about the machine and the needle, it’s time to discuss the third essential piece of the puzzle—your skin. The tattoo needle goes through 1/16th of an inch of skin. That might not sound like a lot of skin, but it is really going through five sublayers of the epidermis, the dermal layer, and also the top layer of the dermis.

Among these layers is a collection of sweat glands, hair follicles, connective tissue, fat, and blood vessels. During a tattoo session, the needle passes through the epidermis and epidermal-dermal junction, opening a passage in the 2mm-thick dermis.

The dermis is ideal for a couple of reasons. It is far enough not to bleed out and isn’t exposed. Knowing this, the tip of the tattoo needle is minutely adjusted to ensure that it enters the skin to the correct depth. If you were to look at a tattoo needle in the machine, you will see that it sticks out no further than 2mm.

How many layers does a tattoo penetrate?

You’ve decided to get a tattoo, but are wondering about the process. That’s super understandable and a smart move. Tattoos can be the most beautiful piece of artwork or memory you try to hold on to for the rest of your life. If you’ve never been comfortable with needles before and are worried about the level of pain to expect, knowing a bit more about the mechanics behind tattooing can help allay those fears. The tattooing process penetrates 1/16th of an inch into your skin through:

  • Five layers of the epidermis
  • The dermal layer
  • The top-most layer of the dermis

What layer of skin does a tattoo go into?

– The tattoo needle punctures your skin around 100 times per second, with the aim of depositing the ink in a region of 1. 5 to 2 millimeters below the surface of the skin. The reason for this depth of penetration is to bypass the outer layer of the skin, or the epidermis.

This part of the skin constantly renews itself. Every day, thousands of epidermal cells are shed from your skin and replaced with new cells. Ink injected into the superficial skin layer would simply come off within 3 weeks.

In order to give the ink a permanent home in your body, the tattoo needle must travel through the epidermis into the deeper layer, or the dermis. Nerves and blood vessels are located here, which is why getting a tattoo hurts and your skin tends to bleed.

  • The bleeding is part of the skin’s natural defense against injury;
  • The result is an influx of immune cells to the site of injury;
  • Macrophages are specialized immune cells, whose job it is to engulf foreign particles and clear them from the tissue;

But this process is only partially successful when it comes to tattoo ink. Some macrophages loaded with ink particles remain in the dermis, while other pigment particles are taken up by the main dermal residents, which are called fibroblasts. Clumps of pigment particles have also been found to stick between the dense collagen fibers of the dermis.

  • Although every new tattoo will display some pigment loss, the majority of the ink will stay in the skin;
  • A study in mice reported that 42 days after tattooing, 68 percent of the dye was still located at the injection site;

But where is the rest of the ink?.

Do tattoos go through all layers of skin?

As many as one in three people have tattoos —but outside of professional tattoo artists, it’s unlikely that a lot of us actually know how they work. In a new video from the Institute of Human Anatomy, Jonathan Bennion explains exactly what happens to the skin when it is being tattooed, why the body doesn’t reject the foreign ink, and why most tattoos fade with time.

  • The skin is part of the body’s integumentary system, consisting of three layers, each of which are made from completely different tissue;
  • There’s the epidermis on the top, the dermis in the middle, and then the hypodermis, also known as the subcutaneous layer;

“The nature of the tissue will definitely influence how ink is deposited in that layer, how permanent the ink is in that layer, and even how the tattoo works,” says Bennion. When it comes to the epidermis, a paper-thin layer made from epithelial tissue, tattooists have to go deeper.

  1. That’s because the cells closest to the skin’s surface flatten and die out to provide a barrier against friction, and are ultimately shed;
  2. The human body can shed up to a million of these dead cells in a single day;

“Some of the ink, as it gets injected into the skin, does get deposited in this layer,” says Bennion. “Eventually, any ink that’s in there is going to flake off. So the next layer is extremely important to tattooing. ” The thicker dermal layer is made from dense irregular connective tissue, and contains sweat glands, blood vessels, nerve endings, and fibrocyte cells which produce collagen—it is this collagen which gives the dermis its strength and elasticity to be pulled in all directions.

“When ink is being deposited into the dermal layer, a lot of that ink is going to get suspended in that collagen matrix, and some of it will even be taken up by those fibrocytes,” says Bennion. “But that’s not the only thing that’s going on here.

During tattooing, a needle is puncturing the skin at anywhere from 50 to 3,000 times per minute. That’s creating trauma as well as injecting a foreign substance into the skin. Usually when our body deals with trauma or a foreign substance gets introduced, our immune system has something to say about that, and the inflammatory process is activated. ” Inflammation is where the body deploys white blood cells to the point of injury. White blood cells called macrophages, which engulf foreign bodies like viruses and bacteria, then try to engulf the ink and break it down. “However, it’s used to breaking down and digesting biological substances,” adds Bennion. “Ink can include dye, plastics, and even solids that our white blood cells are not equipped to break down.

  1. We think that instead of being able to break it down because they can’t, it’s more like ‘let’s isolate this and contain it and not let this ink go to other areas of the body;
  2. ‘” Bennion goes on to explain that when these macrophages die, they release the ink, and a new macrophage comes along and engulfs it—or at least, most of it, with stray ink particles being taken away into the lymphatic system;

And this ongoing engulf-and-release process over a person’s lifetime is actually the basis of one current working theory as to why tattoos tend to fade over the years. How Many Layers Of Skin Does A Tattoo Go Through Philip Ellis is a freelance writer and journalist from the United Kingdom covering pop culture, relationships and LGBTQ+ issues. His work has appeared in GQ, Teen Vogue, Man Repeller and MTV. This content is imported from OpenWeb. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site..

Can a tattoo needle hit a vein?

– This type of tattoo isn’t entirely risk-free. But then, getting a tattoo always involves some level of risk, with an infection being the main cause for concern. The risk for an infection gets a little higher when it comes to tattoos on veins, according to Dr.

Stacey Chimento, a board certified dermatologist at Riverchase Dermatology in Bay Harbor Islands, Florida. “Tattoos involve applying pressure on your skin with a needle, which can rupture the vein, making it bleed into the surrounding tissue and cause an infection,” she says.

If you have varicose veins, Chimento goes on to explain, this could make things worse and result in veins that protrude even further. “Varicose veins struggle to heal due to their pre-existing damage. If pierced during the tattoo session, they could randomly bleed internally or externally, affecting surrounding organs,” she says.

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Another thing to keep in mind when considering a tattoo to cover varicose veins? How that tattoo could potentially impact any future treatment of the veins. “To treat the diseased veins, they need to be somewhat visible.

And if left untreated, the blood can leak into the leg tissue and cause hyperpigmentation. Although rare, infections and undiagnosed veins can cause a need for urgent care if left untreated,” Chimento says.

How deep does the needle go in a tattoo?

Just How Far Does The Needle Go? – Now that you know a little more about the machine and the needle, it’s time to discuss the third essential piece of the puzzle—your skin. The tattoo needle goes through 1/16th of an inch of skin. That might not sound like a lot of skin, but it is really going through five sublayers of the epidermis, the dermal layer, and also the top layer of the dermis.

  1. Among these layers is a collection of sweat glands, hair follicles, connective tissue, fat, and blood vessels;
  2. During a tattoo session, the needle passes through the epidermis and epidermal-dermal junction, opening a passage in the 2mm-thick dermis;

The dermis is ideal for a couple of reasons. It is far enough not to bleed out and isn’t exposed. Knowing this, the tip of the tattoo needle is minutely adjusted to ensure that it enters the skin to the correct depth. If you were to look at a tattoo needle in the machine, you will see that it sticks out no further than 2mm.

Are tattoos toxic to the body?

‘Tattoo inks and permanent make up (PMU) may contain hazardous substances — for example, substances that cause cancer, genetic mutations, toxic effects on reproduction, allergies or other adverse effects on health,’ an ECHA statement reads.

Does tattoo ink go into blood?

Research Continues into the Safety of Tattoos  – As far as tattoo ink getting into your veins goes, the answer is that, yes, it happens. The process involves ink being injected into your dermis, which happens to contain many blood vessels. A skilled tattoo artist can keep the amount of ink getting into your veins to a minimum by injecting the ink at the correct depth.

Does your body fight tattoo ink?

Tattoos are a form of body modification where ink is inserted into the skin to create words and art. Tattoos have long been a form of self- and cultural expression. They have been found on mummified skin dating as far back as 3,000 BCE and are represented in ancient art from as far back as 4,900 BCE.

While many people tattoo themselves to show individuality and creativity, in some cultures tattoos reflect social and political rank, power, and prestige or honor the history of a culture like the tattoos of the Māori.

The skills used to create tattoos have, in some traditions, been passed from parent to child (often father to son) for generations. Humans have been creating tattoos far longer than they have understood the body’s reaction to them. Even today, we rarely think of what is taking place “just below the surface” when receiving a tattoo and the different body systems involved.

  1. How do tattoos stay in place if the body’s cells are constantly dying and being replaced? Why are they so difficult to remove? Let’s take a look;
  2. When you get a tattoo, the ink is inserted via needle into the dermis (the second layer of skin);

Your body sees this ink as a foreign invader, and activates the immune system to seek out and destroy the unfamiliar material. As part of this process, special white blood cells called macrophages envelop the ink and try to break it down with enzymes to a size small enough to be disposed of through the body’s lymphatic system.

  1. (When the tattoo needle introduces bacteria at the same time as introducing ink, a similar macrophage response takes place;
  2. If the bacteria multiply faster than the white blood cells can destroy them, you will get an infection);

However, large tattoo ink droplets are not broken down by these enzymes. Once taken in by a macrophage, the ink molecules are stuck there. It is this trapped ink that you see when admiring your or your friend’s latest tattoo. But like nearly all cells within the human body, macrophages don’t live forever.

Scientists have found that when a macrophage dies (white blood cells last for a few days to just over a week ), the ink is once again released into the dermis. But almost immediately, a fresh new macrophage arrives to destroy the freed ink, and once again, the ink is trapped.

And this process continues over time, which keeps the tattoo in place. That said, some smaller droplets of ink over time become small enough that a macrophage is ultimately able to remove them through the body’s lymph system, making tattoos fade slightly as the years pass.

  1. Now, what if you have the name of your loved one tattooed on your arm but the relationship has soured? What can be done to get rid of the tattoo? Because of the macrophage death/renewal process, removing tattoos can be difficult;

Lasers are used to break up the ink droplets into small enough sizes that the body can successfully remove. This process often takes multiple costly visits with the service technician. However, scientists’ knowledge of the way that macrophages preserve tattoos may help in their eventual removal.

If we can somehow stop the arrival of new macrophages to the area where a tattoo is being removed, it could speed along the laser process and allow the lymphatic system to more easily drain the fragmented particles.

But there is still much research to be done before we can make this a reality. One question that arises when thinking about the body’s reaction to a tattoo is: If someone is immunocompromised, is it safe to get a tattoo? The jury is still out. There have been instances of immunosuppressed people having severe muscle pain and swelling after receiving a tattoo.

But it is not clear if these instances were caused by the tattoo process or by something else (e. , an injury) that coincided with getting the tattoo. It seems plausible that a body already struggling to fight infections could be overwhelmed when a tattoo is added to the equation.

But until more research is completed and shared, we can’t be sure. Other research has shown a possible link between tattoos and a strengthened immune system. As noted above, when you get a tattoo, the body’s immune system immediately bolsters itself to fight off infection, but research has found that this happens not just at the “injured” tattoo site but throughout the entire body, and the response has shown to be cumulative.

In addition, as part of the body’s endocrine system, levels of cortisol (the hormone known to produce the “fight or flight” response in times of stress) seem to decrease during subsequent tattoo creations.

When cortisol levels are too high over a period of time, blood pressure and the processing of food can run amok, causing diabetes, and anxiety can become uncontrollable. These decreased moments of cortisol post-tattooing can, thus, be beneficial to overall health.

So, while tattoos seem only “skin deep,” research continues to show us that they affect numerous body systems, including the immune, lymphatic, and endocrine systems. Remember this the next time you pass a tattoo parlor or admire someone’s ink.

To learn more about the human immune system and how it is used, check out the following resources: •     Khan Academy Inflammatory Response Video   •     LabXchange The Immune System Pathway.

Can tattoos interfere with getting an MRI if yes how?

Do Tattoos Cause Irritation During an MRI? – In rare situations, tattoos may make an MRI less comfortable. The  Food and Drug Administration (FDA)  warns that tattoos can cause irritation and burning during an MRI. A scientific review also reported a tattooed athlete  experiencing a burn-like injury  during an MRI.

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How painful is a tattoo?

How bad do tattoos hurt? – There’s no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to how much pain you’ll feel when getting tattooed. But if you’re wondering what type of pain to expect, Caranfa says the experience is comparable to the feeling of a cat scratch or a sunburn.

“Long periods of irritation and tenderness are what make you feel any discomfort,” Caranfa says. “The sensation of a tattoo needle is very dull compared to a syringe [and needle], it isn’t the needle that causes discomfort as much as it is prolonged tenderness of being tattooed.

” Importantly, different people will report varying experiences of pain based on their individual nervous systems and pain thresholds , says Channelle Charest , a California-based tattoo artist and Co-founder of tattoo scheduling platform Tatstat. Other factors that could affect pain during tattooing include:

  • Age: Studies suggest aging decreases your pain sensitivity , meaning elderly people might experience less pain when getting tattooed. Researchers have yet to determine why this happens but note that the size of parts of the brain that process pain decreases with age.
  • Sex: People who are biologically female are more likely to experience greater pain intensity, a lower pain threshold, and a lower tolerance for induced pain compared to people who are biologically male. However, research is still emerging.
  • Psychological expectations : If you go into a tattoo expecting it to be an excruciating experience, this might affect how much pain you actually feel. Studies suggest that people who feel anxious about and “catastrophize” pain before a procedure often experience higher levels of pain intensity and distress than people with “neutral” pain expectations.

Fortunately, most of the discomfort you feel while getting tattooed will end when your tattoo artist puts down the tattoo gun. “The sensation is only when the needle is in you,” Caranfa says, adding that while it’s typical to experience some soreness, swelling, and itchiness in the days after getting tattooed, it’s “not debilitating.

What do tattoos do to your immune system?

Immune defenders rush to tattoo’s tiny wounds – More than 30% of Americans are tattooed today. Yet, few studies have focused on the biological impact beyond risks of cancer or infection.

    Tattooing creates a permanent image by inserting ink into tiny punctures under the topmost layer of skin. Your body interprets a new tattoo as a wound and responds accordingly, in two general ways. Innate immune responses involve general reactions to foreign material. So getting a new tattoo triggers your immune system to send white blood cells called macrophages to eat invaders and sacrifice themselves to protect against infection.

    1. Your body also launches what immunologists call adaptive responses;
    2. Proteins in the blood will try to fight and disable specific invaders that they recognize as problems;
    3. There are several classes of these proteins — called antibodies or immunoglobulins — and they continue to circulate in the bloodstream , on the lookout lest that same invader is encountered again;

    They’re at the ready to quickly launch an immune response the next time around. This adaptive capacity of the immune system means that we could measure immunoglobulins in saliva as approximations of previous stress caused by tattooing. In American Samoa, Howells and I worked at the Historic Preservation Office to recruit study participants with help from tattoo artists Joe Ioane of Off Da Rock Tattoos , Duffy Hudson of Tatau Manaia and traditional hand-tap tattooist Su’a Tupuola Uilisone Fitiao. We collected saliva at the start and end of each tattoo session, controlling for the tattoo duration. We also measured recipients’ weight, height and fat density to account for health. From the saliva samples, we extracted the antibody immunoglobulin A, as well as the stress hormone cortisol and inflammatory marker C-reactive protein. Immunoglobulin A is considered a frontline immune defense and provides important protections against frequent pathogens like those of the common cold.

    Our sample of 25 tattoo recipients included both Samoans and tourists to the island. By comparing the levels of these biological markers, we determined that immunoglobulin A remains higher in the bloodstream even after tattoos heal.

    Furthermore, people with more time under the tattoo needle produced more salivary immunoglobulin A, suggesting an enhanced immune response to receiving a new tattoo compared to those with less or no tattoo experience. This effect appears to be dependent on receiving multiple tattoos, not just time passed since receiving one.

    1. This immune boost may be beneficial in the case of other skin injuries and for health in general;
    2. Tattooing seems to exert a priming effect: That’s what biologists call it when naive immune cells are exposed to their specific antigen and differentiate into antibodies that remain in the bloodstream for many years;

    Each tattoo prepares the body to respond to the next. Other studies find that short-term stress benefits the immune system. Stress’s bad rap comes from chronic forms that really do undermine immune response and health. But a little bit is actually good for you and prepares your body to fight off germs.

    Regular exercise provides immune function benefits through repetition , not necessarily single visits to the gym. We think this is similar to how each tattoo seems to prepare the body for vigilance. Our Samoan findings supported the results of my first study in Alabama.

    But of course correlation does not imply causation. Enhanced immune response is correlated with more tattoo experience, but maybe healthier people heal easily from tattooing and like to get them more. How could we find out if getting tattoos could actually make a person healthier?.

    Is tattoo ink cancerous?

    When it comes to cancer, black ink can be especially dangerous because it contains a very high level of benzo(a)pyrene. Benzo(a)pyrene is currently listed as a carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

    How long does ink from a tattoo stay in your blood?

    Do Tattoos Affect Blood Tests? – No, tattoos do not affect blood tests. Not all ink particles from a tattoo enter your bloodstream, so it shouldn’t interfere with any blood tests you might have to take in the future. If your tattoo is fresh and is still healing, your blood test may result in elevated levels of white blood cells due to the open wound caused by the needle.

    Does Colour hurt more on a tattoo?

    So, Do Color Tattoos Hurt More? – Generally speaking, ink color doesn’t determine the amount of pain you’ll feel. The color simply doesn’t have to do anything with the pain of the tattoo. As we mentioned, tattoo placement, your pain tolerance, and your tattooist’s technique are the main factors determining how painful the process will be.

    Sure, there was a time when colored ink used to have a thicker consistency than black ink. This was an issue since it took the tattooist longer to pack the colored ink, which in itself hurts. The longer you’re getting tattooed, the higher the skin damage and the more painful the process becomes.

    Nowadays, all inks are of similar consistency, so there isn’t an issue there. Now, if your tattoo artist takes a long time to complete the tattoo, you’ll experience more pain as the process goes on. Also, if the tattoo artist uses a dull needle, chances are the process will hurt more.

    Sharp, new needles tend to hurt less. Now, as the needle gets worn out, it remains sharp, but it dulls out a little bit. This small difference in needle sharpness can promote faster skin damage and of course, cause more pain.

    If your tattooist uses white ink highlight , you can expect more pain. This is again not because of the needle or the ink color, but rather the pain is caused by the repetition of needle penetration in one place. In order for the white ink to fully show and become saturated, the tattooist needs to go over the same area several times.

    1. That is what causes skin damage and pain;
    2. Now, after all of the information, we do have to point out that there are people who swear that the coloring/shading of the tattoo hurts more than the linework or tattoo outline;

    Pain is a subjective thing, so it can be hard to be exact with the answer to whether color tattoos hurt more than regular ones.

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    Can tattoos interfere with getting an MRI if yes how?

    Do Tattoos Cause Irritation During an MRI? – In rare situations, tattoos may make an MRI less comfortable. The  Food and Drug Administration (FDA)  warns that tattoos can cause irritation and burning during an MRI. A scientific review also reported a tattooed athlete  experiencing a burn-like injury  during an MRI.

    Does your body fight tattoo ink?

    Tattoos are a form of body modification where ink is inserted into the skin to create words and art. Tattoos have long been a form of self- and cultural expression. They have been found on mummified skin dating as far back as 3,000 BCE and are represented in ancient art from as far back as 4,900 BCE.

    While many people tattoo themselves to show individuality and creativity, in some cultures tattoos reflect social and political rank, power, and prestige or honor the history of a culture like the tattoos of the Māori.

    The skills used to create tattoos have, in some traditions, been passed from parent to child (often father to son) for generations. Humans have been creating tattoos far longer than they have understood the body’s reaction to them. Even today, we rarely think of what is taking place “just below the surface” when receiving a tattoo and the different body systems involved.

    • How do tattoos stay in place if the body’s cells are constantly dying and being replaced? Why are they so difficult to remove? Let’s take a look;
    • When you get a tattoo, the ink is inserted via needle into the dermis (the second layer of skin);

    Your body sees this ink as a foreign invader, and activates the immune system to seek out and destroy the unfamiliar material. As part of this process, special white blood cells called macrophages envelop the ink and try to break it down with enzymes to a size small enough to be disposed of through the body’s lymphatic system.

    (When the tattoo needle introduces bacteria at the same time as introducing ink, a similar macrophage response takes place. If the bacteria multiply faster than the white blood cells can destroy them, you will get an infection).

    However, large tattoo ink droplets are not broken down by these enzymes. Once taken in by a macrophage, the ink molecules are stuck there. It is this trapped ink that you see when admiring your or your friend’s latest tattoo. But like nearly all cells within the human body, macrophages don’t live forever.

    Scientists have found that when a macrophage dies (white blood cells last for a few days to just over a week ), the ink is once again released into the dermis. But almost immediately, a fresh new macrophage arrives to destroy the freed ink, and once again, the ink is trapped.

    And this process continues over time, which keeps the tattoo in place. That said, some smaller droplets of ink over time become small enough that a macrophage is ultimately able to remove them through the body’s lymph system, making tattoos fade slightly as the years pass.

    • Now, what if you have the name of your loved one tattooed on your arm but the relationship has soured? What can be done to get rid of the tattoo? Because of the macrophage death/renewal process, removing tattoos can be difficult;

    Lasers are used to break up the ink droplets into small enough sizes that the body can successfully remove. This process often takes multiple costly visits with the service technician. However, scientists’ knowledge of the way that macrophages preserve tattoos may help in their eventual removal.

    1. If we can somehow stop the arrival of new macrophages to the area where a tattoo is being removed, it could speed along the laser process and allow the lymphatic system to more easily drain the fragmented particles;

    But there is still much research to be done before we can make this a reality. One question that arises when thinking about the body’s reaction to a tattoo is: If someone is immunocompromised, is it safe to get a tattoo? The jury is still out. There have been instances of immunosuppressed people having severe muscle pain and swelling after receiving a tattoo.

    1. But it is not clear if these instances were caused by the tattoo process or by something else (e;
    2. , an injury) that coincided with getting the tattoo;
    3. It seems plausible that a body already struggling to fight infections could be overwhelmed when a tattoo is added to the equation;

    But until more research is completed and shared, we can’t be sure. Other research has shown a possible link between tattoos and a strengthened immune system. As noted above, when you get a tattoo, the body’s immune system immediately bolsters itself to fight off infection, but research has found that this happens not just at the “injured” tattoo site but throughout the entire body, and the response has shown to be cumulative.

    In addition, as part of the body’s endocrine system, levels of cortisol (the hormone known to produce the “fight or flight” response in times of stress) seem to decrease during subsequent tattoo creations.

    When cortisol levels are too high over a period of time, blood pressure and the processing of food can run amok, causing diabetes, and anxiety can become uncontrollable. These decreased moments of cortisol post-tattooing can, thus, be beneficial to overall health.

    So, while tattoos seem only “skin deep,” research continues to show us that they affect numerous body systems, including the immune, lymphatic, and endocrine systems. Remember this the next time you pass a tattoo parlor or admire someone’s ink.

    To learn more about the human immune system and how it is used, check out the following resources: •     Khan Academy Inflammatory Response Video   •     LabXchange The Immune System Pathway.

    Do tattoos go into your bloodstream?

    How Long Does Tattoo Ink Stay In Your Blood? – The tattoo ink is never and will never be injected directly into the bloodstream. However, the ink is injected into the dermis when tattooing, which is the second layer of skin. This layer of skin contains tiny blood vessels that could carry some of the ink particles through the body.

    How do you know if tattoo is deep enough?

    In today’s tattoo climate, Instagram and social media often mislead audiences about how their ink will hold up over time. Artists on Instagram want to put their best foot forward and most will post photographs of their fresh tattoos. However, a tattoo only stays fresh for an extremely short period of time and it’s important for consumers to be conscious about the reality of healed tattoos. How Many Layers Of Skin Does A Tattoo Go Through Raised Lines If your tattoo is raised in any parts, specifically in the linework, that means that is scarred. If a tattooer went too deep during the tattoo, then parts of the tattoo may be slightly raised after the tattoo is healed. How Many Layers Of Skin Does A Tattoo Go Through Extreme Fading A little bit of fading is natural and normal, however, extreme fading as seen above is out of the ordinary. This is also a result of poor technical application, but instead of a tattooer going too deep, this artist didn’t go deep enough. When a tattooer doesn’t go deep enough with their needles, the tattoo won’t stick and will be more prone to rapid fading. How Many Layers Of Skin Does A Tattoo Go Through Blowouts Blowouts occur when a tattooer inks too deep and they’re the result of tattoo ink spilling throughout the layers of skin. Blowouts can show up immediately, however, many people tend to notice them after the tattoo has healed. How Many Layers Of Skin Does A Tattoo Go Through Tattoo Infection If you get a tattoo infection during the healing process, it can dramatically affect the tattoo afterwards. There are varying degrees of tattoo damage due to infections, which each depending on the individual tattoo and the severity of the infection. How Many Layers Of Skin Does A Tattoo Go Through Blurred Lines Over time but especially after the healing process, lines spaced closely together, as seen in small script tattoos, will begin to blur together. Over time, it will become more and more difficult for people will small and delicate script tattoos to read their ink. How Many Layers Of Skin Does A Tattoo Go Through Ink Fall Out If your tattoo is applied poorly or applied in a tricky location, it is not only susceptible to rapid fading, but pigment fall out. If you notice large chunks missing from saturated areas of your tattoo, then some fall out has occurred. This can also occur is you pick or scratch the scabs of your tattoos as well..