What makes tattoos permanent? - Claudia Aguirre
6,430,974 Views
36,566 Questions Answered
TEDEd Animation
Let’s Begin…
The earliest recorded tattoo was found on a Peruvian mummy in 6,000 BC. That’s some old ink! And considering humans lose roughly 40,000 skin cells per hour, how do these markings last? Claudia Aguirre details the different methods, machines and macrophages (you’ll see) that go into making tattoos stand the test of time.
Black tattoo pigments are the easiest to treat because the pigment absorbs all laser wavelengths. If black absorbs all colors of the visible spectrum, do you think white pigment is easy or difficult to remove and why?
Sign in to answer questionAbout TED-Ed Animations
TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »
Meet The Creators
- Educator Claudia Aguirre
- Director Hector Herrera
- Producer Pazit Cahlon
- Script Editor Alex Gendler
- Narrator Addison Anderson
