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If human cells all regenerate, why don't tattoos vanish?

Question

According to scientists, every cell in the human body is replaced every few years. If that’s true, then what about tattoos? How come they don’t disappear?
Steve, Weybridge

Answer

** Definitive **
Name: David, Leytonstone
Qualification: I’ve got lots of tattoos
Answer: The reason they don’t disappear is because they are beneath the epidermis, which is the top layer which gets replaced. A tattoo isn’t actually ink, but very small particles which sit in the dermis. The tattoo isn’t actually a part of the body, so doesn’t get replaced.