Tattoos

[kags]

Human skin is being constantly rejenerated - and each human being sheds around 2 billion skin cells every day. Can someone explain why tattoos do not wear away?

[Greedyfly]

They do fade badly over time, I think its because the ink is so deep rooted that it stays.

[clarabel7]

the ink is injected below the top layer of skin, the one which regenerates all the time. Tattoos fade if they are not looked after properly, and if you don't use sunscreen, because after all, it is ink, and ink fades in the sun.

[sft42]

If you'd like a diagram showning the above in detail then try this webpage: http://people.howstuffworks.com/tattoo5.htm

It shows exactly how tattoos stay under your skin.

[tubeway]

The strange thing is that different colours fade at different rates. As an experement (!) - I had two tattoos done 26 years ago - the reds went first - then the yellows. Brown has faded as have the blues. green and orange are still very strong as are the black outlines.