Tattoo Ink Research Articles (Page 10)

Despite popularity of tattoos, complications may occur. In particular, red tattoo reactions due to allergic reactions are the most frequent chronic tattoo reactions. However, little is known about its histopathology and underlying pathomechanisms. The aim of this article is to analyze the histopathology of red tattoo reactions for diagnostic purposes and to acquire more insight into pathogenesis. A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted by reviewing the histopathology of 74 skin biopsies of patients with allergic red tattoo reactions. Histopathological findings, such as inflammation patterns, inflammatory cells and pigment depth and color, were semi-quantified with an in-house validated scoring system by 2 independent senior investigators. Histiocytes and lymphocytes were both present in >93%. Histiocytes were the predominant inflammatory cells in 74.3%, but well-defined granulomas were mostly absent (78.0%). Eosinophils were uncommon (8.1%) The predominantly histiocytic reaction combined with interface dermatitis was the main inflammation pattern (37.9%). Most biopsies showed more than one reaction pattern. Interface involvement was observed in 64.8%, despite the intended depth of standard tattoo procedures, in which pigment is placed deeper, in the upper- and mid-dermis. Statistical analyses showed a significant association between inflammation severity and pigment depth (P = 0.024). In 6 cases (8.1%) pigments could not be retrieved histologically. In this cohort we demonstrated that cutaneous reactions to red tattoo ink are frequently characterized by the combination of dermal predominantly histiocytic infiltrates and epidermal interface dermatitis. Allergic reactions to red tattoo pigments probably represent a combination of a subtype IVa and IVc allergic reaction. Clinicians should be aware of the specific histopathology of these reactions and therefore the importance of taking a diagnostic skin biopsy.

Allergic reactions to metals and metal salts used in tattoo pigments occur surprisingly frequently. For this reason, this study focused on the determination of thallium (Tl) in the samples of color tattoo inks. These inks are commonly used in tattooing processes worldwide. The samples were analyzed with the use of differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry. The stripping anodic peak current of Tl was linear over its concentration range of 0.5-6.0 μg/l, which corresponds to 2.45×10-9-2.94×10-8 M. The determined value of the limit of detection (LOD) was equal to 0.149 μg/l (7.29×10-10 M). The obtained results revealed a wide range of Tl contents in tattoo inks, i.e., 0.0029-0.4275 μg/g. The content of this metal varied substantially depending on the pigment used in tattoo inks. Thallium was identified and determined in all tested samples. Its content depends on the country of origin but it does not depend directly on the color. The lowest content of Tl was found in the pink ink and the highest in the violet ink (from Israel), and a similar content was also found in the yellow ink (from Israel). The use of colored inks in larger quantities (a dense pattern and a larger surface area covered) may potentially pose a health risk. The danger of Tl poisoning from tattooing depends on the type of the ink (color) and its origin. As Tl is not considered a micronutrient, introducing such a Tl content into the body may be associated with a potentially harmful accumulation of this metal in body organs, causing various types of ailments and toxic effects primarily on the nervous, skeletal and circulatory systems. The obtained results suggest that tattooists may be exposed to the toxic effects of Tl in tattoo inks. The analytical data presented in the paper may constitute the basis for determining the acceptable limits of toxic Tl contents in tattoo inks. Med Pr. 2020;71(4):405-11.

Since tattoos became overwhelmingly fashionable worldwide, the demand for removal has proportionally increased, Nd:YAG Q-switch laser being the most commonly used tool for the purpose. In this framework we investigated the composition and products of laser treatment of green tattoo ink, the Green Concentrate from Eternal. The ink characterization has been carried out by IR, UV-Vis, EDX spectroscopies, and SEM imaging. It revealed the presence of the pigment PG7, rather than PG36 as reported on the bottle label, along with non-fully halogenated analogues. The morphology is an extended sheath with embedded grains. Subsequent laser treatments were performed on both dried and extracted inks, dispersed either in water or in propan-2-ol, chosen for their different polarities, as it is the case in the skin layers. The products were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, UV-Vis spectroscopy, SEM imaging, and dynamic light scattering. The outcome is a complex fragmentation pattern that depends both on the solvent and on the initial aggregation state. The fragment compounds are toxic at various degrees according to the Classification Labelling and Packaging regulations. Several shapes of aggregates are produced as an effect of both downsizing and re-aggregation, with potentially harmful aspect ratios.

Tattoo colorants decompose under solar radiation and when exposed to laser light for their removal, leading to the accumulation in the dermis of toxic products. Aim of this study was to develop lipid microparticles (LMs) loaded with the colorant, Acid Red 87 (C.I. 45380) used in tattoo inks, and to investigate the effect of this system on the photostability of the colorant under simulated sunlight or laser irradiation. LMs loaded with C.I. 45380 were prepared by melt emulsification using tristearin and phosphatidylcholine as excipients. They were characterized by optical microscopy, laser diffraction, X-ray diffraction and release studies. Free C.I. 45380 and the colorant-loaded LMs were irradiated with a solar simulator or a Q-switched laser. Irradiation with a solar simulator demonstrated that photodecomposition of C.I. 45380 was markedly reduced by incorporation of the dye in the LMs, from 20.5±4.6% to 1.3±1.8%. Conversely, the laser-induced degradation of the colorant (30.1±6.6%) was not significantly influenced by encapsulation in the LMs (the encapsulated C.I. 45380 loss was 27.4±5.5%). Incorporation of C.I. 45380 in lipid microparticles enhances the photostability under sunlight of tattoo inks containing this colorant, without affecting its laser-induced degradation and hence laser removal efficiency.

This study was aimed to measure the decolorization of tattoo dyes by different chemicals and polyphenol oxidases from several plant sources. The tattoo inks removal market has burgeoned over the years, due to increased spread of tattooed persons about the world. Laser and surgery are presently the gold standards for removing of the tattoo. However, both of them have blemishes. Consequently, lots of persons were preferring easier, faster and cheaper procedures for tattoo remove. In this study polyphenol oxidases enzyme from many plant sources and different chemicals were used for decolorization of tattoo dyes in vitro. The polyphenol oxidase enzyme was used for removing of tattoo dyes (brown and blue) in order to demonstrate their potential in the treatment and decolorization of the tattoo, which is hazardous when removing by laser. The results show that 89 and 82 % of the brown and blue tattoo dyes respectively, were removed after 24 hours by enzyme extracted from Malva parviflora leaves, whereas the decolorization efficiency of polyphenol oxidase from other plant sources given less than 16% of the same dyes. The results for tattoo dyes decolorization by different chemicals revealed that Bimethylbenzylamine was the best chemical used with decolorization ratio 36 and 38 % for brown and blue tattoo dye, respectively.

This study demonstrates remote imaging for in vivo detection of radiation-induced tumor microstructural changes by tracking the diffusive spread of injected intratumor UV excited tattoo ink using Cherenkov-excited luminescence imaging (CELI). Micro-liter quantities of luminescent tattoo ink with UV absorption and visible emission were injected at a depth of 2 mm into mouse tumors prior to receiving a high dose treatment of radiation. X-rays from a clinical linear accelerator were used to excite phosphorescent compounds within the tattoo ink through Cherenkov emission. The in vivo phosphorescence was detected using a time-gated intensified CMOS camera immediately after injection, and then again at varying time points after the ink had broken down with the apoptotic tumor cells. Ex vivo tumors were imaged post-mortem using hyperspectral cryo-fluorescence imaging to quantify necrosis and compared to Cherenkov-excited light imaging of diffusive ink spread measured in vivo. Imaging of untreated control mice showed that ink distributions remained constant after four days with less than 3% diffusive spread measured using full width at 20% max. For all mice, in vivo CELI measurements matched within 12% of the values estimated by the high-resolution ex vivo sliced luminescence imaging of the tumors. The tattoo ink spread in treated mice was found to correlate well with the nonperfusion necrotic core volume (R2 = 0.92) but not well with total tumor volume changes (R2 = 0.34). In vivo and ex vivo findings indicate that the diffusive spread of the injected tattoo ink can be related to radiation-induced necrosis, independent of total tumor volume change. Tracking the diffusive spread of the ink allows for distinguishing between an increase in tumor size due to new cellular growth and an increase in tumor size due to edema. Furthermore, the imaging resolution of CELI allows for in vivo tracking of subtle microenvironmental changes which occur earlier than tumor shrinkage and this offers the potential for novel, minimally invasive radiotherapy response assay without interrupting a singular clinical workflow.

Radiotherapy without tattoos: Could this work?

Tattoo fiducials are commonly used in radiotherapy patient alignment, and recent studies have examined the use of UV-excited luminescent tattoo ink as a cosmetic substitute to make these visible under UV illumination. The goal of this study was to show how luminescent tattoo inks could be excited with MV radiation and imaged during beam delivery for direct visualization of field position. A survey of nine UV-sensitive tattoo inks with various emission spectra were investigated using both UV and MV excitation. Images of liquid solutions were collected under MV excitation using an intensified-CMOS imager. Solid skin-simulating phantoms were imaged with both surface-painted ink and in situ tattooing during dose delivery by both a clinical linear accelerator and cobalt-60 source. The UV inks have peak fluorescence emission ranging from approximately 440 to 600nm with lifetimes near 11-16μs. The luminescence intensity is approximately 6x higher during the x-ray pulse than after the pulse, however, the signal-to-noise is only approximately twice as large. Spatial resolution for imaging was achieved at 1.6mm accuracy in a skin test phantom. Optical filtering allows for continuous imaging using a cobalt source and provides a mechanism to discriminate ink colors using a monochromatic image sensor. This study demonstrates how low-cost inks can be used as fiducial markers and imaged both using time-gated and continuous modes during MV dose delivery. Phantom studies demonstrate the potential application of real-time field verification. Further studies are required to understand if this technique could be used as a tool for radiation dosimetry.

Experimental procedure for EM characterization of tattoo inks in the framework of potential MRI interactions

Photoacoustic imaging (PAI) is a novel hybrid imaging modality that provides excellent optical contrast with the spatial resolution of ultrasound in vivo. The method is widely being investigated in the clinical setting for diagnostic applications in dermatology. In this report, we illustrate the utility of PAI as a non-invasive tool for imaging tattoos. Ten different samples of commercially available tattoo inks were examined for their optoacoustic properties in vitro. In vivo PAI of an intradermal tattoo on the wrist was performed in a healthy human volunteer. Black/gray, green, violet, and blue colored pigments provided higher levels of PA signal compared to white, orange, red, and yellow pigments in vitro. PAI provided excellent contrast and enabled accurate delineation of the extent of the tattoo in the dermis. Our results reveal the photoacoustic properties of tattoo inks and demonstrate the potential clinical utility of PAI for intradermal imaging of tattoos. PAI may be useful as a clinical adjunct for objective preoperative evaluation of tattoos and potentially to guide/monitor laser-based tattoo removal procedures.

The European Commission is moving closer to restricting more than 4,000 substances in tattoo inks and permanent makeup after an assessment by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). The agency, along with three member states and Norway, proposed limiting the concentrations of those substances in tattoo inks to protect people from adverse skin reactions and other health effects. ECHA claims that the substances are carcinogenic, mutagenic, or toxic to reproduction; skin sensitizers or irritants; corrosive or damaging to the eye; metal containing; or already regulated in cosmetics. The agency included some substances not currently found in tattoo inks to prevent them from being used for such purposes in the future. ECHA also recommended phasing out two phthalocyanine dyes—pigment blue 15 and pigment green 7—over a 2-year period to ensure that blue and green tattoo inks are available while formulators seek to find safer alternatives. The commission plans to discuss ECHA’s recommendations

Abstract The extensive exposure of the human epidermis to solar radiation creates a health risk that results in skin cancer. Commercial sunscreens offer sufficient protection from ultraviolet (UV) radiation; however, the ability to determine UV exposure limits can provide informed decisions about the dose of sunscreen required and the frequency of re‐application. Here, a wide range of wearable devices that colorimetrically report on UV exposure are developed. Under UV radiation, UV‐sensitive dyes change their color from 280 to 400 nm in the visible spectrum. By correlating the current color value and the UV dose, the amount of sun exposure is determined with an accuracy of 95%. A smartphone camera algorithm is coded to automatically perform the color analysis of these dyes. The UV‐sensitive dyes are incorporated in wearable devices, skin patches, textiles, contact lenses, and tattoo inks. The developed wearable devices will ensure monitoring UV radiation to rationally manage the user's behavior in order to prevent harmful sun exposure.

Laser lights have been used by dermatologists for tattoo removal through photothermal interactions. However, most clinical studies used a visual scoring method to evaluate the tattoo removal process less objectively, leading to unnecessary treatments. This study aimed to develop a simple and quantitative imaging method to monitor the degree of tattoo removal in in vivo skin models. Sprague Dawley rat models were tattooed with four different concentrations of black inks. Laser treatment was performed weekly on the tattoos using a wavelength of 755 nm over six weeks. Images of non-treated and treated samples were captured using the same method after each treatment. The intensities of the tattoos were measured to estimate the contrast for quantitative comparison. The results demonstrated that the proposed monitoring method quantified the variations in tattoo contrast after the laser treatment. Histological analysis validated the significant removal of tattoo inks, no thermal injury to adjacent tissue, and uniform remodeling of epidermal and dermal layers after multiple treatments. This study demonstrated the potential of the quantitative monitoring technique in assessing the degree of clearance level objectively during laser treatments in clinics.

This work describes the application of a detailed set of TXRF evaluations to the elemental content of assorted tattoo inks, on the market of the city of Concepcion, Chile. We applied TXRF as a screening method for determining the composition in 3 sets of tattoo inks, in order to establish, from an inorganic point of view, the composition and purity of the samples, evaluating their elemental innocuousness. The analyzed 48 products were freely acquired from on line suppliers. All of them were analyzed by external standard quantification, but in order to inter-compare the results, a 15% of the samples were acidly digested and then quantified by the internal standard method. In the samples we determined: 1) their inorganic quantitative composition and, 2) the possible presence of elements which are potential health hazards. In this study few anomalies were found: 1) The high presence Ti of and W in few samples, 2) Arsenic was found in four of them, and 3) A trace detection of a rare earth element in a particular product. The products studied are almost freely imported from a world open marked, so the questions about their innocuousness could affect not only to the Chilean society.

Cutaneous malignancies may uncommonly arise in the setting of injury to the skin from a variety of etiologies. While melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and basal cell carcinoma (BCC) have all been reported at tattoo sites, BCC is the least common, with the present case being only the 12th such case reported in the literature. We present a case of a large BCC of 15 years duration arising within a blue/black tattoo on the patient's left upper arm. The patient was treated with 6 weeks of imiquimod cream with promising results and started a second 6-week regimen to clear residual tumor. Of the 12 reported cases of BCC arising within tattoo sites, the majority of patients have been male (7/12 patients) and the majority of the BCCs developed within the blue or black pigment of the tattoo (8/12 patients) on sun-exposed skin (9/12 patients). The average age at the diagnosis is 53.5 years, and the average duration between tattoo placement and BCC onset is 18.3 years. It has been hypothesized that tattoo ink may be related to the development of malignancies as either a primary carcinogen or cocarcinogen with ultraviolet exposure. Nevertheless, the link between tattoo ink and malignancy may also be coincidental considering the number of tattooed individuals worldwide and the extreme rarity of BCCs that have developed in tattoos. Our purpose is to raise the awareness of the development of cutaneous malignancies within tattoo sites and encourage the physicians to include cutaneous malignancy in the differential diagnosis of “rash” arising in a tattoo.

Lives that Are Dealt Alex Eaker (bio) Driving in Cars with Homeless MenKate Wisel University of Pittsburgh Press www.upittpress.org/books/9780822945680/ 185Pages; Cloth, $23.00 Nostalgia mutates into malt liquor and Boston’s back roads in Kate Wisel’s debut collection, Driving in Cars With Homeless Men. This linked collection of stories is delicately tied together by Serena, Frankie, Raffa, and Nat, all women whose lives collapse onto each other like a bridged deck of playing cards. The primary focus of this collection is the relationship these women find themselves in with men — abusive men in varying degrees, some plainly violent, some emotionally, some gentle but not healing to the extent the protagonists need, their scar tissues fissuring around the corners of each page. Set in both the early 2000s and contemporary Boston, the four women are lower-middle class workers, students, daughters, lovers, addicts, survivors, and criminals at times — their true natures impossible to grasp like a sly fish in the shallows, their stories eager to sound simultaneously farfetched and undeniable. In the story “Mick’s Street,” Raffa’s husband kicks her out of the house, forcing her to break into their summer home on the Cape where she does heroin with a squatter. In “Stage Four,” Frankie moves in with a conman named Villy who convinces her to use up the last of her student loans to pay for rent and his need to shop at a fancy grocery store where he steals blocks of butter and toilet paper. These stories are esoteric and familiar all at once, Wisel’s lens sharpened in on what’s interesting about her world. Bleeding on the page are these women’s stories, their survival perched tenuously on the tip of Wisel’s pen, which fills the bindings with stark honesty and razor-sharp detail. One way she aptly defines her characters are through the things that make up their world — a mish-mash of the benignly childish and the R-rated: Sesame Street toothbrushes, Colt 45 wrappers, crushed Altoids, India ink tattoos, “gang-rape” collars, a Bruce Lee poster over a teenager’s bed, the stories are filled with gems that bring authenticity to each character and each setting. These women may be malt-liquor drinking, spitting-inside-of-mini-malls, wearing black to a wedding chaos, but their child artifacts, so delicately placed on each page, remind the reader these are coming of age stories, that for now these are only just girls. Despite the sense of hopelessness evoked through the collection, vital to its ability to bring about catharsis is the agency endowed onto Serena, Frankie, Raffa, and Nat: choices to abuse — to be abused — by substance, by love, by loss, by having but not doing. Each story hones in on the conflict between circumstance and intervention (or lack-there-of). Wisel cares about the lives each one of us are dealt, fair and unfair advantages, and how this can shape who we become later on: who our parents are, what part of the city do we live in, how many student loans did we have to take out? As the collection passes, the protagonists steadily age into women who carry with them the grievances of their adolescents. Despite the walls closing in on them, there is still the sense these women have power and control, which is vital to the reader meeting them at eye level. By the end of “When I Call, You Answer,” the few words, “I quit” free Serena from an emotionally abusive boss. In the collection’s final story, “Run For Your Life,” Raffa chases down a bike thief on foot with the exertion that despite the thief’s speed, she has purpose, making her infinitely more dangerous than him. Wisel illustrates how courage and cowardice are not black and white, but [End Page 25] traits which can be exerted simultaneously. These women have weakness, but are strong. They get hit, but in the same instance they can hit back. When they are defeated there is always the sense they will survive, and ultimately this collection is about just that: matters of life and death. Wisel is...

Tattooless breast radiotherapy at the London clinic

Cutaneous reactions to tattoos are increasing as the prevalence of tattoos increases. Lichenoid reactions often occur in red tattoos and are usually localised to the tattoo. We present a case of recurrent lichenoid reaction occurring in both the black tattooed and adjacent non-tattooed skin.

Purpose: The paper aimed to highlight the ocular complications after exposure to tattoo ink by presenting a case report. Material and methods: A 19-year-old patient presented to the ophthalmologist for decreased vision and photophobia after a tattoo she performed on her left thigh. Tattoo ink is mentioned as an inflammatory process trigger in current literature at skin level, but the eye related complications are those that can cause the patient's quality of life to plummet through important VA alteration. Ocular inflammatory processes after exposure to tattoo ink can cause uveitis, patients may present with changes characteristic of Anterior Uveitis or may have significant ocular complications such as papillary swelling, retinal haemorrhage, and retinal macular effusion. The presented case showed how difficult it is to name Neuroretinitis' etiology in a situation in which laboratory and imaging investigations excluded most of the causes that could determine such an aggressive pathology in a young person. Delayed hypersensitivity reaction caused by tattoo pigments is one of the mechanisms cited in the existing literature, but the mechanism that delineates ocular complications is very complex and, at this point, unfortunately little known.

Quantitative analysis of metals and metal-based nano- and submicron-particles in tattoo inks.