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Researcher Developing Tattoo Removal Cream

BarbaraHudson writes During tattooing, ink is injected into the skin, initiating an immune response, and cells called "macrophages" move into the area and "eat up" the ink. The macrophages carry some of the ink to the body's lymph nodes, but some that are filled with ink stay put, embedded in the skin. That's what makes the tattoo visible under the skin. Dalhousie Uiversity's Alec Falkenham is developing a topical cream that works by targeting the macrophages that have remained at the site of the tattoo. New macrophages move in to consume the previously pigment-filled macrophages and then migrate to the lymph nodes, eventually taking all the dye with them. "When comparing it to laser-based tattoo removal, in which you see the burns, the scarring, the blisters, in this case, we've designed a drug that doesn't really have much off-target effect," he said. "We're not targeting any of the normal skin cells, so you won't see a lot of inflammation. In fact, based on the process that we're actually using, we don't think there will be any inflammation at all and it would actually be anti-inflammatory."

4 of 164 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Found the perfect way by TWX · · Score: 4, Insightful

    A lot of things are much easier for individuals to judge in hindsight than at the time they make those decisions.

    Everything from teenage angst to pornography would be entirely different if more people foresaw the personal ramifications of their decisions.

    --
    Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
  2. Re:Unfortunately.... by russotto · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Probably living in a forest, breathing fresh air, eating natural food and drinking source water is less carcinogenic?

    Trees pump out all sorts of carcinogenic crap. The Great Smokey Mountains aren't smokey from man-made pollution or fire, after all. If the canopy isn't too heavy, living outdoors means susceptibility to skin cancer. Natural food, especially plants also contains all sorts of toxins. And water in nature can contain lead and arsenic and kill you too. But if you live like that, your chance of cancer might be cut down by getting bitten by a snake or attacked by a wolf or a bear or something, or just hypothermia.

  3. Given all the tattoo hate here by TeknoHog · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I'm a math/science guy, and I have math symbols on my arms. If I ever regret my affection towards math and science, I might as well have some skin torn off.

    Besides, the capital Sigma works great whenever somebody asks me "Are you series?".

    --
    Escher was the first MC and Giger invented the HR department.
  4. Re: IF true... by Darinbob · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It's not just a corporate attitude. It turns off a lot of people. Which is ok for young people who don't give a damn what anyone but their current love interest thinks. But when real life starts to intervene as one gets older, there are a lot of people who regret the ink.