Degradation of Tattoo Inks by Cold Atmospheric Plasma Treatment: A Proof-of-Concept Study

Abstract

Tattoos have been a part of the culture and a way of expression for a remarkable portion of society throughout history. However, different dissatisfactions related to tattoos lead people to tattoo removal procedures that can be carried out in various ways. Among them, laser tattoo removal is the most common technique. However, laser tattoo removal could have downsides; thus, novel technologies that either support or replace conventional methods are needed. In the present study, the degradation of red, yellow, green, blue, black and white tattoo inks by plasma treatment was evaluated for possible future use of cold plasma in tattoo removal. Tattoo inks were treated with DBD air plasma in the aqueous form and in the agarose gel. Furthermore, also tattoo pigments were exposed to plasma-treated water. The Kl-starch reagent was used to correlate the oxidative strength of plasma-treated water with the degradation of tattoo inks. Degradation of tattoo inks was determined by reflectance measurements and was measured as color change with respect to plasma treatment time. Color changes of tattoo inks were represented using the CIELAB color system and CIE xyY color space. Our results suggest that air DBD plasma treatment and plasma-treated water are capable of degrading tattoo inks. The color change of tattoo inks due to degradation by plasma was clearly distinguishable by the naked eye, and the maximum value corresponding to color change was measured for red tattoo ink.