Tattoo Ink Moves Through the Body, Killing Immune Cells and Weakening Vaccine Response

[Alice B.]

39. This is good to know and important research for many to follow.

I have several, somewhat discreetly located (depending on dress or whether I turn an arm this way or that. They were acquired over the course of nearly 30 years. Most commemorate things that aren't here any more. All are personal to me and ways of carrying things with me.

Nearly all give me great joy to look at. One, one of my first, didn't come out the way I hoped. As I said to an artist recently (who's also an ER nurse, btw), it doesn't actively bother me, however. I've had it so long, it's just another part of me. I'd consider a coverup on it if I could figure out what I want. It's not a burning need.

Tattoos are not everyone's cup of tea and that's fine. There are plenty of things that aren't mine. I just try very hard not to express my personal distaste in public and unkindly. Someone wrote upthread about things you'd hang over a mantle, which is kind of like things you'd say directly to someone, especially a stranger's face.

That said, this essay and reader comments may be illuminating. Recently from the Oldster Substack. Sari Bottom writes (and hopefully I did this right):

"a moving essay by Catherine Gigante-Brown about her assorted tattoos, what prompted her to get each one, and why the tattoo she recently got for her 66th birthday will, sadly, most likely be her final one.

... It’s a poignant story that gets at something I very much relate to: how powerful it can be to mark an occasion by literally marking yourself. It’s a very particular way of declaring something about yourself, or your intentions—to both yourself, and the world.

I thought it might be a good Friday Open Thread topic to prompt all of you with. In the comments please tell us:

How old are you? Do you have tattoos? How many? At what ages did you get them? Describe them. What was the emotional impact of getting them? Did they shift something for you, internally? Did you catch any flack for getting them? Are there any you regret? Have you ever had a regrettable tattoo covered up, or lasered off?"

https://oldster.substack.com/p/my-last-tattoo