/oss/taxonomy/term/2411/all en /oss/article/did-you-know-general-science/why-do-tattoos-stay-our-skin <p>Our bodies are pretty good at ridding themselves of unwanted invaders, so why is it that we are able to inject ink into them, and have it stay? Over time, molecules are broken down by white blood cells and transported away. This does occur with dye molecules (that's part of why new tattoos fade quickly at first), but most of the dye molecules are too big to be picked up by white blood cells. Unable to get rid of them, the body sequesters the dyes into fibroblast cells, where it hangs out basically indefinitely.</p> Mon, 22 May 2017 15:57:57 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 2474 at /oss