Painless Tattoos Developed – Easy, Do-It-Yourself Microneedle Patches

Scientists develop painless tattoos that may be self-administered

Think about getting tattooed painlessly by a pores and skin patch containing microscopic needles, as a substitute of sitting in a tattoo chair for hours enduring painful pricks. Researchers on the Georgia Institute of Know-how (Georgia Tech) have developed cheap, painless, and cold tattoos that may be self-administered. They’ve many functions, from medical alerts to monitoring neutered animals to cosmetics.

“We have miniaturized the needle so it is painless, however nonetheless effectively deposits tattoo ink into the pores and skin,” mentioned Mark Prausnitz, lead researcher on the paper. “This may very well be a technique to not solely make medical tattoos extra accessible, but additionally create new alternatives for beauty tattoos as a result of ease of administration.”

Prausnitz offered the analysis within the journal iScience September 14, with co-author Music Li, a former postdoctoral fellow at Georgia Tech. Prausnitz is Regents Professor and J. Erskine Love Jr. Professor within the College of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.

Tattoos are utilized in medication for a number of functions. These embody masking scars, guiding repeated radiation remedy therapies for most cancers, or restoring nipples after breast surgical procedure. Tattoos will also be used rather than bracelets as medical alerts to speak severe medical situations equivalent to epilepsy, diabetes, or allergic reactions.

An enlarged view of a microneedle patch with inexperienced tattoo ink. Credit score: Georgia Tech

Numerous beauty merchandise utilizing micro-needles are already in the marketplace, primarily for anti-aging. Nonetheless, the event of microneedle expertise for tattoos is new. Prausnitz is a veteran on this area. He has studied micro-needle patches for years to painlessly ship medicine and vaccines to the pores and skin with out the necessity for hypodermic needles.

“We noticed this as a possibility to leverage our work on micro-needle expertise to make tattoos extra accessible,” Prausnitz mentioned. “Whereas some persons are prepared to just accept the ache and time required for a tattoo, we thought others would possibly choose a tattoo that’s merely pressed onto the pores and skin and does not damage.”

remodel tattoo

Tattoos often use massive needles to repeatedly puncture the pores and skin to get an excellent picture. It’s a lengthy and painful course of. The Georgia Tech group developed micro-needles smaller than a grain of sand and fabricated from tattoo ink enclosed in a soluble matrix.

“As a result of the microneedles are fabricated from tattoo ink, they deposit the ink into the pores and skin very effectively,” mentioned Li, the examine’s lead creator.

On this approach, the microneedles may be pressed as soon as into the pores and skin after which dissolve. They depart the ink within the pores and skin after a couple of minutes with out bleeding.

tattoo approach

Though most microneedle patches for prescription drugs or cosmetics have dozens or tons of of microneedles organized in a sq. or circle, microneedle patch tattoos print a sample which will embody letters, numbers, symbols and photos. By arranging the micro-needles in a particular sample, every micro-needle acts like a pixel to create a tattoo picture of any form or sample.

Researchers begin with a mildew containing micro-needles in a sample that kinds a picture. They fill the mildew microneedles with tattoo ink and add a patch holder for handy dealing with. The ensuing patch is then utilized to the pores and skin for a couple of minutes, throughout which era the micro-needles dissolve and launch the tattoo ink. Totally different coloured tattoo inks may be integrated into the microneedles, together with black mild ink that may solely be seen when illuminated by ultraviolet mild.

A microneedle patch tattoo is owned by inventor, Mark Prausnitz. Credit score: Georgia Tech

Prausnitz’s lab has been researching microneedles for vaccine supply for years and realized they may be relevant to tattoos. With assist from the Alliance for Contraception in Cats and Canines, Prausnitz’s group started engaged on tattoos to establish spayed and neutered animals, however later realized the expertise may very well be efficient as effectively. for people.

The tattoos have been additionally designed with privateness in thoughts. The builders have even created patches delicate to environmental elements equivalent to mild or temperature modifications, the place the tattoo will solely seem with ultraviolet mild or greater temperatures. This supplies sufferers with privateness, revealing the tattoo solely when desired.

The examine demonstrated that the tattoos might final at the least a 12 months and are prone to be everlasting. It additionally makes them viable beauty choices for individuals who need a beauty tattoo with out the danger of an infection or ache related to conventional tattoos. Microneedle tattoos may be loaded with momentary tattoo ink to satisfy short-term medical and beauty wants.

Microneedle patch tattoos will also be used to encode info into animal pores and skin. Somewhat than reducing off the ear or making use of an ear tag to animals to point sterilization standing, a painless and discreet tattoo may be utilized as a substitute.

“The objective is to not change all tattoos, which are sometimes works of magnificence created by tattoo artists,” Prausnitz mentioned. “Our objective is to create new alternatives for sufferers, pets, and individuals who need a painless, easy-to-administer tattoo.”

Reference: “Microneedle patch tattoos” by Music Li, Youngeun Kim, Jeong Woo Lee and Mark R. Prausnitz, September 14, 2022, iScience.
DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105014

Prausnitz co-founded an organization known as Micron Biomedical that develops microneedle patch expertise, advances it by medical trials, commercializes it, and finally makes it out there to sufferers.

Prausnitz and a number of other different Georgia Tech researchers are the inventors of the microneedle patch expertise used on this examine and have a stake in Micron Biomedical. They’re entitled to royalties from future gross sales of research-related merchandise by Micron Biomedical. These potential conflicts of curiosity have been disclosed and are overseen by the Georgia Institute of Know-how.