Tattoo ink in lymph nodes: how it gets there and is it dangerous?
Why some tattoo and PMU pigment ends up in the lymph nodes, why laser removal stains them even more, and whether there is any proven health risk.
A lymph node stained by tattoo pigment
A lymph node stained by tattoo pigment
Lymph nodes with tattoo pigment
Lymph node section under the microscope: dark clusters of pigment
Photos taken from a lecture by Professor Dr. Wolfgang Bäumler at the BfR symposium in June 2013
Disclaimer: if you already have a tattoo or are planning to get one, don’t panic. This article is written for information purposes; I don’t want to frighten anyone.
We have a scientifically proven fact: part of the pigment put into the skin when a tattoo is done accumulates in the lymph nodes over time. Sounds puzzling, doesn’t it?
To clear things up, I suggest we look at the reasons why pigment ends up in the lymph nodes. Let’s go!
How did the pigment end up in the lymph nodes at all? Isn’t it “sealed in” the skin?
It turns out that’s not quite true. When pigment is put into the skin, it stays in the dermis between the collagen fibres and is taken up by macrophages and fibroblasts. This stops it from spreading.
Now let’s look at the body’s reaction. For the body, pigment = a foreign substance that has to be got rid of! So the immune system joins the fight against it.
It carries pigment nanoparticles around the body, which is why they accumulate in the lymph nodes. This process is shown in more detail in the images below:
Passive transport
Passive transport is when pigment is removed from the body via the bloodstream or lymph. During this “journey”, the smallest pigment particles settle in the lymph nodes.
Active transport
Active transport of pigment is carried out by the immune system. It sends its cells to fight the foreign substance, and they “engulf” small pigment particles. The immune cells then reach the lymph nodes, where the ink nanoparticles settle.
Illustration source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-11721-z#re. Adapted by doctormikrukov.org
In other words, after a tattoo is done, the large and medium pigment particles stay in the skin, while the smallest ones are either eliminated from the body or settle in the lymph nodes.
What about PMU? Does it stain the lymph nodes too?
People with PMU (permanent makeup) are luckier: their lymph nodes will be less intensely stained. The thing is, less pigment is put into the skin for PMU. So fewer ink particles will settle in the lymph nodes — the pigment colour will most likely be barely noticeable.
From this we can draw an interesting conclusion...
Essentially, PMU or a tattoo is the part of the pigment that your immune system was unable to remove from the body.
By the way, during laser removal the lymph nodes become stained even more! When we treat the pigment with a laser, its particles are broken down into smaller ones. And this is where the immune system joins the fight again.
It once again removes the fragmented pigment from the body: the ink particles settle in the lymph nodes again and stain them.
What a pulse does to a pigment particle
Press “Pulse” a few times.
Pigment sits in the dermis as clusters of particles. The body cannot clear them on its own: they are too large.
A simplified scheme: macrophages carry away small fragments, large ones stay and are recaptured by cells — this is why removal takes several sessions.
The main question: how dangerous is it?
I understand that black lymph nodes look alarming, to say the least. But there’s no need to worry: there is nothing dangerous about it — at least, no cases are known yet that would prove otherwise.
Even if a danger is confirmed, the cause will be the ink used and its composition — not the laser! The laser only breaks the pigment down into small particles, helping the immune system.
Frequently asked questions
Does laser tattoo removal stain the lymph nodes?
Yes, during laser removal the lymph nodes become stained even more. The laser breaks pigment particles into smaller ones, and the immune system carries them away, so they settle in the lymph nodes again.
Is tattoo ink in the lymph nodes dangerous?
There is nothing dangerous about it, at least no cases are known yet that would prove otherwise. Even if a danger is confirmed, the cause will be the ink and its composition, not the laser.
Does PMU stain the lymph nodes too?
Less intensely than a tattoo. Less pigment is put into the skin for PMU, so fewer ink particles settle in the lymph nodes and the colour will most likely be barely noticeable.
