In short, the process of making a tattoo can be described like this:

A special tool with a needle is dipped in ink.
The color pigment is injected into the dermis, around 1.5 to 2 mm deep.
The needle pierces the skin 100 times per second.
The ink gets into the papillary layer of the dermis, where it accumulates.
The body reacts to the manipulations as if it’s a wound and activates the process of stopping the bleeding, so the skin puffs up.
The immune protection starts working to neutralize the germs.
All the damaged collagen restores, forming scar tissue.
When the upper layer of the skin heals, the color pigment is trapped and remains inside the skin.

If the tattoos were made in the upper layers of the skin, they would disappear in about 3 weeks — this is how long a body needs to make new epidermis cells.

Over time, the tattoo becomes paler because the ink gets deeper into the dermis.

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