Laser procedures have made tattoo removal much more common

The body can remove tattoos after they are broken down by laser

Tattoos place blobs of ink below the surface layers of the skin in packets too large for white blood cells to clear out. By breaking the ink into smaller pieces, they can be processed by the immune system, which is responsible for removing foreign matter.

Around 32% of American adults have at least one tattoo

Tattoos have waxed and waned in popularity over the centuries, depending upon the social standing of their wearers. Throughout US history, they were often considered taboo. However, growing acceptance of tattoos means they’re more visible in the public eye.

Removal of different color tattoo inks may require multiple lasers

Light needs to be absorbed by ink particles to break them down into small enough pieces for the immune system to eliminate. Color ink reflects, rather than absorbs, lasers of the same color, while black ink absorbs all colored lasers.

Tattoo removal breaks apart ink particles

Tattoos place ink below the skin's surface layers in packets too large for white blood cells to clear out. By breaking the ink into smaller pieces, the immune system, which is responsible for removing foreign matter, can process them.

Technological breakthroughs are spurring innovations in the industry

What if you could see your tattoos before they’re embedded in your skin? Or take a virtual visit into a local studio to work out your nerves over a first tattoo? The industry is anticipating some big technological changes, from 3D designs to sci-fi upgrades to more precise tattoo guns.

There are stigmas attached to tattoos

Although tattoos are fairly common in the US, some taboos remain. A 2017 study in the Journal of Social Psychology found discrimination against tattoos is alive and well, and that even individuals with tattoos associate them with negative stereotypes.

Tattoos, explained

Tattoos last because immune cells trap ink beneath the skin—but there's more to the story. This overview looks at how ancient cultures used tattoos for status, spirituality and punishment; how technology like the electric tattoo machine transformed the art form, and where innovations like smart tattoos could take it next.

Laser technology powers communication, medical and manufacturing tools

Lasers are used when scanning groceries, printing documents or undergoing cosmetic procedures to enhance efficiency, precision and accuracy. Missile defense, targeting and optical communication systems have made using laser technology habitual in the military.

'Magic ink' is redefining the tattoo

One University of Colorado professor has developed an ink that can be "turned on" with exposure to UV light, and "turned off" with sunlight. While the ink could help those who want to hide their body art from family members or coworkers, there are potential uses for medical procedures.

Harvard and MIT researchers are developing life-saving tattoos

Tattoos aren’t just a fashion statement. Scientists are trying to find life-saving applications for them. Harvard and MIT researchers are developing tattoo inks that react to body chemicals, alerting diabetics to blood sugar fluctuations or athletes to dehydration. Someday, patients may observe their body chemistry with tattoos that change colors.

Tattoos suppressed during colonization are experiencing a revival

A few decades ago, the distinct facial tattoos worn by Maori people were on the brink of disappearing. Then, Maori artists brought the cultural practice back into the spotlight. This TVNZ story follows one reporter’s mother as, at 59 years old, she receives tā moko from a Maori artist.

Tattoos are made by injecting pigments into the skin

Tattoo ink is injected under the skin, which can leave the body open to infections and allergic reactions. While many tattoo artists are licensed professionals who follow sanitary guidelines, that’s not always the case.

Lasers could be the most cost-effective tool for clearing dangerous space debris

A NASA study found that lasers from ground- and space-based systems could utilize the momentum of light to safely push smaller debris out of their orbits. These systems would need to be accompanied by amendments to international space law, which prevents any nation from touching debris from another country, among other strategies.

The origin of LASIK eye surgery, from a lab incident to federal funding and widespread use

After a University of Michigan engineering student suffered retinal burns from an ultrashort pulse laser, researchers realized it could be used to reshape the cornea and improve a person's vision with greater precision than a scalpel and earlier laser technologies. Agencies, including the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Energy, provided funding to develop and commercialize the procedure.

Laser skin treatments can promote the production of collagen

Skin resurfacing vaporizes the top layer of skin to reveal healthier, new skin, while collagen can give the skin structure and elasticity. Such procedures treat scars and burns, but may leave light spots on the skin.

Tattoo inks are largely unregulated by the FDA

With hundreds of ink manufacturers, all unregulated by the FDA, it’s hard to determine the exact ingredients in tattoo inks. Some pigments may contain carcinogenic chemicals, such as heavy metals and aromatic hydrocarbons, or even bacterial contaminants. Red ink often causes allergic reactions and may even contain lead or mercury.

Cremations are America's top choice for postmortem body treatment

Though this process is the most popular one, more Americans are becoming interested in "green" burials that don't involve slowly degrading coffin materials, toxic embalming fluids or emissions from crematoria.

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The immune system fights tattoos

Our skin is a fascinating organ that wants nothing more than to protect our bodies from the outside world. Tattoos penetrate that protective wall to inject ink directly into the sensitive, immunologically rich layer of skin known as the dermis.

NASA began investigating the healing properties of red light therapy in the 1980s, when researchers studying how LED lights could aid in photosynthesis noticed that their hands seemed to heal faster than normal under the lights.

Tattoos were once used to identify status

Around 450 BCE, Scythians inhabiting what is now southern Siberia were recorded as wearing tattoos of swirling mythical beasts to signify nobility. At the same time, tattoos have identified lower-status and enslaved people.

Watch the engineering challenges overcome in turning a 3D printer into a tattoo machine

The DIY project required reprogramming the printer to operate on a curved, 2D surface rather than making flat layers in 3D, editing replacement firmware to bypass temperature safety checks, and developing a rapid system to stop the tattoo in case of an emergency. The final product printed "LEG" on a volunteer's leg.

Fiber lasers used for metal engravings can’t burn your skin

These devices use diodes and mirrors to create pulses of light that vaporize metal in billionths of a second, though at wavelengths that cannot react with organic material. Pulse width, power, and speed adjustments can produce white, black, and even colored patterns through controlled heat reactions.

The first tattoo gun was based on an electric pen invented by Thomas Edison.

Photodynamic therapy is one current treatment for age-related macular degeneration.

'Skin stitching' is an ancient tattoo method that's made a comeback

In the slow method, artists use needles to puncture the skin. Then, pigmented thread is drawn through the punctures to create the tattoo, resembling embroidery in the flesh. The method is experiencing a cultural revival within Canada’s First Nations communities.

Scientists have proposed using lasers to push space trash into Earth's atmosphere

Such projects would allow most debris to burn up and no longer pose a risk to active satellites, telescopes, and astronauts on space stations. Enacting these plans would require substantial investments from private and governmental space agencies and overcoming international laws that prevent the removal of another country's space equipment.

Lasers help build the layers of circuit components in microchips

During the photolithography process, light is projected through a blueprint onto a light-sensitive chemical layer on silicon wafers, etching patterns that become transistors through a series of successive reactions. These processes require significant electricity, as only about 2% of photons reach the wafer.

By 2028, a space trash-avoiding maneuver is expected to occur every 18 seconds

As the number of active Starlink satellites increases, greater efforts will be required to keep low Earth orbit free of debris, sparking a new technological space race. NASA has found that using lasers to manage small and medium debris could save up to $9B over 30 years.

In 2026, the US FDA approved a light-activated gel combined with red light therapy as a nonsurgical treatment option for the most common type of skin cancer.

Lasers have been used to create natural adhesives for paper

German researchers at four Fraunhofer institutes have developed a method to seal paper packaging using a carbon monoxide laser. Without the need for glue or plastic adhesives, the Papure project is expected to improve the recyclability of paper. (Some readers may experience a paywall.)

Sailor tattoos represent naval milestones

Sailors often come home with mermaids or turtles adorning their bodies. But what does it mean to have permanent images of propellers on your bum, British galleons with soaring tiers of sails on your chest, or a bicep portrait of the Roman god Neptune? Those tattoos represent meaningful naval milestones.

During LASIK surgery, a laser removes microscopic amounts of tissue from the cornea

Before surgery, a patient’s vision needs are incorporated with measurements and mapping of their eye’s surface to identify corrections to refractive errors. This ensures light entering the eye correctly focuses onto the retina to produce a clear image.

Experience a century of America's healthcare advances with this medical visualization, tracing a sampling of healthcare innovations from head to toe.

Yakuza gangsters' tattoos often portrayed moments from their lives

Although tattoos have been worn in Japan for centuries, no single group is more famous for their elaborate, full-body tattoos—featuring traditional Japanese art—than Yakuza gangsters. The criminal organization does not use tattoos to mark their association, though. Instead, the scenes are intensely personal.

In 2023, Americans spent more than $50B on weight loss drugs, a number expected to triple or more by the end of the decade.

Digital re-aging and de-aging of faces in film and TV has become increasingly common

Traditional techniques for accomplishing this process were slow and labor-intensive, and often required manual frame-by-frame edits, forcing them to be reserved for "hero characters" and close-up shots. Deep learning methods used by Disney and other production companies now provide fully-automatic and production-ready methods to produce such deepfakes for entertainment purposes.

Commercializing space debris removal may follow the commercialization of launches

Active debris removal is likely to focus on larger derelict objects, which are more easily identified and yield better financial returns. One actively researched possibility involves using netting to capture derelict objects before towing them into a controlled descent into an ocean.

'Tattoo' comes from a Polynesian word that means 'to strike'

“Tatatau” roughly translates to “strike,” a reference to the ancient process, which involved tapping ink into the skin with sharpened objects, like the bronze implements used circa 1450 BCE in Egypt, below.

Certain visible light therapies, when applied at specific intensities, can be used to treat skin conditions, including acne.

How Korea’s beauty industry is impacting its healthcare system

Hallyu, or the spread of Korean culture, has made South Korea a global leader in the beauty industry. People worldwide travel to the country, seeking aesthetic procedures like microneedling and noninvasive lifting. The $4B industry attracts many doctors seeking high profits. However, the result is a healthcare system facing a critical shortage of general practitioners and hospital physicians.

Mark Zuckerberg, Katy Perry, and other celebrities have attended Burning Man

Burning Man is an expensive endeavor, most attractive and accessible to those with deep pockets and an interest in artistic endeavors. Therefore it’s no surprise the event attracts various famous innovators and entertainers, including the world's richest people.

72% of Americans say tipping is now expected in more places than it was 5 years ago

This change has been driven by multiple factors, including point-of-sale systems from fintech companies such as Square that prompt customers for tips directly. Americans also increased tipping during the pandemic in an effort to support local businesses struggling financially due to a lack of physical foot traffic.

Over one million people are estimated to travel to Istanbul each year for hair transplants.

Nearly 9 in 10 Americans were annoyed by tipping as of 2025

That’s a sharp increase from the 75% who thought tipping culture had gone too far in 2024. One potential culprit? The proliferation of tipping screens in places outside sit-down restaurants, such as coffee shops and hair salon. Three in 10 Americans say they give less when presented with tipping screens.

Americans only became intolerant of body odor in the last century

Daily bathing only became a societal norm in the last century. Today, Americans routinely bathe and buy more deodorant than any other country, spending roughly $6 billion annually on odor-reducing products. The rise of industrialized soaps, deodorants, and antiperspirants—and extensive marketing around them—stimulated this demand.

Many journalists are shying away from sharing mug shots when reporting crime

News outlets used to cover crime with mug shots of the accused. Some outlets even published mug shot photo galleries, collections of easily acquired content that drove clicks and, hopefully, advertising dollars. However, this practice has fallen out of favor as journalists question the lasting impact of immortalizing mug shots of accused perpetrators, at least some of whom are ultimately cleared of the alleged crime.

How musical guests disappeared from late night TV

The late-night landscape has changed dramatically in the past five years, with the most visible difference being a severe lack of music. This writer set out to learn why that is—and what it means for audiences and artists alike.

Laser-etched electric charges guide toner during laser printing

When sending a print job, the file data generates an image that a laser maps positively charged regions onto a drum separately for each color toner. Once the negatively charged toner is applied where it was electrically attracted, heat and pressure fuse it onto the paper.

Explore why Americans are drinking less alcohol

US alcohol consumption fell 5% in 2025, with beer and wine leading the decline. Economists point to tighter budgets and less face-to-face socializing overall, while younger Americans are increasingly choosing not to drink.