Intradermal Smart Tattoos can Help in Detecting Systemic Diseases

Intradermal tattoos with color changing dyes help in the detection of systemic diseases using various biomarkers.

Highlights:

Intradermal tattoos with color changing dyes aid in detecting pH, albumin, and glucose changes
They can be used as a monitoring device in patients with chronic diseases //
These tattoos require further research before they are introduced to humans

Systemic diseases can now be detected using intradermal tattoos. These tattoos have injectable pigments that change color when exposed to varying pH, glucose, or albumin levels in the body.

This development could allow us to connect two different areas of art and science and blend tattoo artistry with medical advances.

Chemical engineer Ali Yetisen and a team at the Technical University of Munich first described their functional color-changing intradermal tattoos in a research article dating back to 2019. These tattoos have the ability to adapt to changing levels of pH, glucose, and albumin in the blood, and can allow patients to track their own health without needing any extra devices ().

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‘Intradermal tattoos are no longer just wearable stickers, but can now help diagnose systemic diseases and conditions, thanks to revolutionary technology.’

What are the Medical Advantages of Intradermal Tattoos?

These intradermal tattoos can help in recognizing the following systemic changes:

Changes in Glucose Levels of the Body

This can help us monitor the glucose levels of diabetic patients. The tattoo pigments in diabetic patients would turn from yellow to green once the blood glucose levels rose.

pH Changes can Signal Kidney and Lung Problems

These color-changing chemical dyes in the intradermal tattoos can alert doctors to cases of acidosis (low blood pH) or alkalosis (high blood pH), two conditions that are caused by a range of health problems.

Albumin Levels can Help in Identifying Kidney, Liver, and Heart Issues

Levels of albumin can be charted using colorimetric biosensors that can indicate high levels of albumin, which in turn indicate heart problems, while low levels indicate liver or kidney failure.

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How are Intradermal Tattoos Evaluated After the Color Change?

Chemical sensors that change color in response to differing levels of certain biomarkers, including pH trackers consisting of methyl red dye, bromothymol blue dye, and phenolphthalein dye, are evaluated with a smartphone camera and an app. The app contains an algorithm that can determine biomarker concentrations by comparing chromatic variations of the biosensors to calibration points. Calibration charts could be used to evaluate the color changes in different light conditions, including brightness, saturation, and shades. In other words, the app matches the color of the tattoo to specific pH, glucose, or albumin levels. Using this AI technology, a lot of time can be saved in communication between doctors and patients, and immediate medical attention can be provided.

Harmful Effects of Tattoos
Tattoos can cause problems ranging from mild allergies to the deadly AIDS. Therefore take precautions during tattooing and care of the tattoo thereafter, or better avoid it altogether.

What are the Benefits of Intradermal Tattoos?

This technology can help patients who are living with chronic diseases and elderly people benefit the most from such continuous monitoring devices. These biosensor tattoos are minimally invasive, and patients can choose their designs as well.

Tattoo Removal Methods
Tattoo removal methods could include both laser and non-laser ones. Picoseconds, R20, CO2 are popular laser methods. Tattoo removal may cause skin bruising, infections.

Are Tattoos Safe for our Body?

Damaging the epidermis (as is necessary for injecting pigment into the skin) may not always be desirable, even though body modification by injecting pigments into the dermis layer is a more than 4000-year-old custom. They can have potential medical consequences, such as infections owing to contamination, or allergic reactions ().

It is noteworthy that cancer arising in tattoos, in regional lymph nodes, and in other organs due to tattoo pigments and ingredients has not been detected or noted as a significant clinical problem and is considered a coincidental finding ().

For now, these intradermal inks are being tested on samples of pigskin. The tattoos have not yet been tested on humans. Hence, further research is required before this technology is introduced to the human skin.

References :

Tattoo Inks for Optical Biosensing in Interstitial Fluid - (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34510804/)
Tattoos and Their Potential Health Consequences - (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27788746/)
Tattoo complaints and complications: diagnosis and clinical spectrum - (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25833625/)