A drawing of a tattoo machine with tattoo art of leaves coming out of it, and a rose tattoo is drawn next to it.

50247-article-image-custom-tattooing-kr-1

A photograph of a woman’s hand is shown with three plus-signs tattooed in a vertical line on the base of her thumb.

screenshot-20220718-123240-instagram

Ines Schreiver wears a white lab coat, goggles, and blue gloves as she collects tattoo pigment particles with an eye dropper in her tattoo toxicology laboratory. There are bottles of brightly colored pigment particles on the lab bench in front of her.

tattoo-086-tif-161120

The skin is home to a menagerie of immune cells, including Langerhams cells in the epidermis and macrophages in the dermis among others. When ink from a tattoo needle enters the dermis, macrophages recognize the pigment particles as foreign and engulf them, capturing the pigment in the dermis. This capture by macrophages is what gives tattoos their permanency in the skin.

2022-10-11-16-39-13

Ali Yetisen stands in a white lab coat and goggles in his laboratory where he designs tattoo-based sensors.

Three Hawaiian tattoo artists with traditional kakau tattoos sit or lay on a mat in the foreground of the photo. Other Hawaiians with traditional kakau tattoos site in chairs behind them.

Carson Bruns wears a white lab coat and blue gloves to tattoo one of his color changing pigments in his laboratory.

From ancient medicines to equipping humans with new senses, tattoos are more than just permanent marks on the skin. They may boost immune function, and they have the potential to effectively deliver therapeutics through the skin.

Tattoo therapeutics deliver medicine more than skin deep

News

ddn-front-cover-december-issue-2025

December 2025

A 3D molecular visualization of antibody-like protein structures with attached yellow payloads floating against a dark, space-like background.

istock-1715913285-1800x900-1

xdc-logo-01-1

Evolving approaches to conjugation chemistry and linker&ndash;payload design are helping address persistent challenges in bioconjugate development.

Advancing bioconjugate development through innovative approaches

Whitepaper

Fluorescent-style illustration of spherical embryonic stem cells clustered together against a dark background.

87742-january-13th-webinar-lonza-kr1800x900-plain-istock

35-lonza-logo

Lonza

Explore how emerging <em>in vitro</em> systems &mdash; built from primary cells, cocultures, and vascularized tissues &mdash; are improving translational research outcomes.&nbsp;

Advancing predictive <em id="isPasted">in vitro</em> models

Webinars

3D illustration of ciliated cells, with cilia shown in blue.

istock-956478190-1800x900

picture14

Syncell

Ultraprecise proteomic analysis reveals new insights into the molecular machinery of cilia.

tattoo

Tattoo therapeutics deliver medicine more than skin deep

Subscribe to our eNewsletters

Sponsored

December 2025