a picture of a lady with a tattooed arm

Tattoos and TENS. Yes or No?

Tattoos date back to Neolithic times and have great cultural significance however in recent times they have become popular worldwide with several estimates stating that 36% of adults under 40 and 10% of the wider western world population have at least one tattoo.

Tattooing is the depositing of ink pigment, via a needle into the epidermis and dermis of the skin which are the outer two layers. It penetrates about 0.6 to 2.2 mm deep. Only the ink deposited into the dermis is permanent. The epidermal layer sloughs off as it is replaced with new cells during healing.

A literature search revealed numerous articles on the dermatology consequences of tattoos, along with the possible toxicity of some pigments. Tattoo ink migration has even been shown to turn up in sentinel nodes, giving the appearance of metastatic melanoma.

Permanent tattoo inks are made up of pigments and additives derived from animals, plants and metals. At risk tattoos

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