Essay About Tattoo Inks

892 Words2 Pages

Aaron Harris
English 1102
Prof. Bishop
December 7, 2013
Tattoo Inks: From Past To Present

Tattoo inks have come a long way from the past to the present. The history of tattoo ink stretches back to the prehistoric times. The evolution of tattoos and inks have mainly been a journey of trial and error experiences by tattoo artists, professional and amateur, daring to try new things and making tattoo ink out of different things. Scientific American Journal explains the how tattoo ink is placed,” Tattoo ink is placed via needles into the dermis layer of the skin, where it remains permanently” (Scientific American, 3rd paragraph) .Some of the first materials that were used in making tattoo ink were “colored sand, charred nuts, bricks and soot from a burnt Bible”(Hammonds,Sandi, paragraph 1). Vegan and organic tattoo inks are known to be the safest and highest quality of tattoo ink due to the concentration of the pigments.
When anyone decides to get a tattoo, they usually think the ink will last forever. Unfortunately, time is always not on our side when it comes to us getting older and having tattoos. Blake Schwaller- a tattoo artist, states, “With each splitting of a cell to create a new one, a small fraction of your tattoo ink moves to another location in the new cell ”(Schwaller,Blake- Section 4). As this process happens more and more, fading will result to the tattoo. The ink will also break down in the tissues of the skin causing it to spread and fade. There is not really a way to stop this process as new skin cells have to regenerate constantly.
The sun will break down the pigments that are in tattoo ink with any long exposures to the sun. Obviously, if you are in the sun a lot, no matter the quality or concentration of the ink...

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...usion Ink has a much higher pigment load than any other ink on the market today and is an organic pigment that is completely vegan safe” (Fusion Ink, Section 1). Many tattoo ink manufacturers do not include in their information if their inks are metal based or organic, and this company does. This speaks well for the company, although the inks are a bit more expensive than other companies. I feel at peace knowing that the inks are safe for my customers.
Organic inks, which are my personal professional preference, are the safest on the market. These types of inks are typically derived from plant matter. Vegan inks are also in the same class as the organic inks as well and are also ranked just as safe as organic inks.Organic inks are also safe to digest. I personally have no plans on digesting tattoo ink, but if I planned on doing so at least I know that it is safe.

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