Our Story

We’re working to answer hard questions, like:

• What’s in tattoo ink?

• What is pain?

• How does laser removal work?

• What happens to ink once it's in the body?

• Will tattoos interfere with my medical condition or medication?

If you ask a tattoo artist any of these questions, they will likely not have a clear answer.   In some cases, neither will your doctor. The Science of Tattooing exists to change that. Our goal is to help tattooers and doctors to bring a higher quality of service to their clients and patients, respectively. By making this information accessible to everyone from all education levels, our intent is also to create a resource for anyone who is curious about the science at play in tattooing, particularly people who have gotten or want to get a tattoo. 

After starting this project, it became clear that our work would not be done the moment we publish our textbook -- our research has uncovered a universe of opportunity for further study. .  We aspire to continue to develop this research and to create more resources. One such project is a searchable tattoo ink database; where individuals can search material safety data sheets (MSDSs) for material contents they would like to avoid.

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Every purchase of the textbook helps to fund further research, projects, publications for The Science of Tattooing.  We strive to grow in our own understanding and overall body of work, and we look forward to working with the medical, scientific, regulatory, and tattooing communities -- and anyone else who is  curious about the wide world of tattoo science.

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Have more questions?

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