Tattooing is a very interesting process in my opinion. Tattoo needles poke into your skin and inject tattoo ink. That’s how you get tattoos, pretty simple right? Not so fast. There are many precautions and calculations that go behind even the simplest tattoo-making. One of the crucial parts of tattooing is to know how deep should a tattoo needle go. An artist cannot randomly decide a depth, a precise calculation goes behind the depth of a tattoo needle.
Why does the depth of the tattoo needle matter so much? It matters because there are many layers to your skin. Injecting tattoo ink on the wrong skin layer can ruin the tattoo. Not following the ideal tattoo needle depth can lead to tattoo fading, shorter tattoo life, tattoo blowout, etc. I will explain everything you need to know regarding how deep should a needle go and how can you achieve that perfect depth in this piece.
Key Takeaways
- A tattoo needle depth should be 1-2mm or 1/16 of an inch while tattooing.
- There are three skin layers which are the epidermis, dermis, and hypodermis layer.
- You should inject tattoo ink on the dermis layer and avoid injecting ink into the epidermis or hypodermis layer.
- Injecting ink into the epidermis layer can shorten the tattoo’s life and injecting the ink into the hypodermis layer can cause a tattoo blowout.
- You can hit the correct needle depth by correcting your technique, tattoo machine, etc.
- A tattoo needle can transfer ink into your blood vessel but it is not harmful as your body’s immune system can red rid of the extra ink floating in your blood vessels.
How Deep Should A Tattoo Needle Go?
The tattoo needle should go 1-2mm deep into the skin. Depending on the skin type and placement the needle depth may vary a little, but make sure to inject the ink on the second or dermis layer of the skin.
Hitting the perfect depth is quite crucial. The first layer of your skin or epidermis layer has 5 layers of its own. So a needle should go deep enough to penetrate the five-layer of the epidermis and inject ink into the second or dermis layer. The Dermis layer is where the ink resides and gives you the perfect tattoo. Tattoo ink staying in the epidermis layer or going deep into the third or hypodermis layer will ruin the appearance of your tattoo. To understand better how deep a tattoo needle should go first you need to understand the 3 skin layers. Which are:
- Epidermis layer: The outer layer that is visible to us without taking any layer of our skin is called the epidermis layer. The epidermis layer contains five sublayers of its own. This layer of skin ensures our skin tone and works as a waterproof barrier.
- Dermis layer: The layer under the epidermis is the second layer or dermis layer. This layer contains hair follicles, connective tissues, and sweat glands.
- Hypodermis layer: The last and third layer is called the hypodermis layer. This layer contains nerves, fat, and connective tissues.
As I have mentioned the tattoo needle must penetrate the epidermis layer to reach the dermis layer to inject the ink. Even though the epidermis layer has five sublayers, the depth of this layer is not much. The Epidermis depth layer is depth is barely 1/16 of an inch. So, the ideal depth of a tattoo needle is around 1-2mm.
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Tattooing & Needle Depth: Explained
To understand needle depth in detail, you have to understand how tattooing is done. So I will explain tattoo tools, the tattooing process, and the depth of the needle in this portion.
Tattoo machine
Do you know how tattoo machines work? Usually, tattoo artists use an electronic or electrical device as a tattoo machine. But other forms of tattooing do not require any machine like stick and poke tattoos.
Let us talk about electronic tattoo machines first. These machines use coils to do 6,000 motions of needles coming out and going into the machine. Tattoo artists use the tattoo machine or tattoo gun as a pen even though the needle constantly moves up and down. This up-and-down motion penetrates the skin and injects the tattoo ink by using the tattoo needle.
On the other hand, a stick and poke tattoo has to be done by manually penetrating the skin with a needle attached to a pen or stick. So you will have to be extra cautious of how deep you are forcing the needle to penetrate the skin.
Ink
A tattoo machine can not do anything without ink. You will need specially formulated ink that is safe to inject into the skin. The tattoo needle injects the ink into the dermis layer by penetrating the skin by doing the up and down motion.
Now, you may ask how the ink stays on the specific spot of the skin and does not spread or come out. The needle makes a small hole in the dermis layer where the ink gets injected. It gets trapped in the dermis layer and can not spread because there is nothing that can help the liquid to spread.
Tattoo needle
Let us talk about the crucial part which is the needle. Tattoo needles are generally made of stainless steel but they can also be made of chrome and nickel. For shading, and lining coloring round needles may be used. In general tattoo needles are around 0.30mm in thickness. Some needles can be as thin as 0.20mm. Needles should be disposed of after use, as it is considered medical waste.
Needle depth
Needle depth can vary. But it should not go below 1mm or above 2mm. Going below 1mm may cause the needle to inject ink into the epidermis layer and going above 2mm can cause the needle to inject ink into the hypodermis layer. Which is not recommended. Do not get stressed about needle depth as tattoo machines are designed to have that precise depth so it is a bit difficult to go deeper than 2mm. A faulty tattoo machine or inexperienced tattoo artist may end up going above or below the recommended depth can ruin the tattoo. So the needle should go about 1/16 of an inch, which every skilled tattoo artist follows.
3 Ways to Hit the Right Needle Depth as a Tattoo Artist
Tattooing requires an artist to hit the right needle depth or the tattoo might get ruined. Now that you know the right needle depth which is around 1-2mm, how do you plan to hit the mentioned depth? To hit the right needle depth,
have provided some advice below:
1. Voltage
You will need to adjust the voltage so the needle can hit the right depth. I recommend keeping the voltage around 7.5 to 8.5 volts for perfect needle depth.
2. Minding the skin layer
When you are tattooing keep in mind that you have to penetrate the 5 sublayers of the epidermis and inject the ink into the dermis layers. Make sure not to go too deep and inject ink into the hypodermis layer.
3. Right technique
A faulty tattooing technique can mess up the preferred needle depth. When you inject the ink into the dermis layer you will feel a slight vibration on your hand. You can get the perfect technique either by riding the tube or floating the needle.
- Riding The Tube: When you press the needle cartridge tube against the skin while tattooing is called riding the tube. In this technique, you may hang the tattoo needle for about 1/16 of an inch. This way the tattoo needle won’t go deeper into the skin. This technique works but the issue is it dumps out links over the skin and hinders the visibility of the tattoo artist.
- Floating The Needle: In this technique, you use your fingers to set the depth of the needle. You have to change the needles so that there is some gap between the skin and the cartridge. This technique does not hinder the vision of the tattoo artist but in return, it is easier to penetrate too deep using this technique.
Choose one of these two techniques and master it.
What Happens if You Inject the Ink Too Shallow?
Injecting the ink too shallow means you have injected the ink in the epidermis or the first layer of the skin. If you inject ink into the epidermis layer then it may look fine at first but the tattoo will fade pretty fast. Cells of your epidermis layer die and regrow regularly. When cells die, new cells push them out and take their place. When the cells of the epidermis layer which contain your tattoo ink pigment die it will be pushed out and new cells which does not have your ink pigment will take their place. So the tattoo would fade within a month and should be gone completely in two months.
If you accidentally made a tattoo where you injected ink too shallow do not worry. As it will cause no harm to the person’s health and you can do the tattoo properly after the skin heals completely. To heal the skin and skin getting rid of all the pigments it may take one or two months before you can start your new tattoo on the same area.
What Happens if You Inject the Ink Too Deep?
Injecting the ink too deep means you have injected ink in the hypodermis layer of the skin. The Hypodermis layer contains fat and veins. So when the ink comes in contact with fat and veins it would not stay on a particular spot where you injected it, instead, it would spread. Tattoo ink spreading is called tattoo blowout. When a tattoo blowout happens or when you inject ink too deep then the lines of the tattoo would lose precise shape and become blurry. The tattoo may appear fuzzy too.
Apart from the blurriness or fuzziness of your tattoo the area around the tattoo would appear blue or grin. Many people mistake it as a bruise or injury but in reality, it is a sign of ink going too deep into the skin. You can tell the difference between a bruise and a tattoo blowout by observing how long the blue or green color stays. A bruise would heal within days and the discoloration would go away but the tattoo blowout would stay and so will the discoloration of the skin.
Can Needle Transfer Ink Into Blood Vessel if it Penetrates Too Deep
There are veins in the hypodermis layer, so thinking if the needle penetrates deep it may inject ink into a blood vessel is normal. You may find this surprising but there are plenty of blood vessels in the dermis layer too. So for a tattoo needle to transfer or inject ink into the blood vessel it does not necessarily have to penetrate deep. It may penetrate the recommended depth which is 1-2mm and still transfer ink into the blood vessel.
So yes, a tattoo needle can transfer ink into a blood vessel. A professional tattoo artist knows how to work around the blood vessels and how to inject a small amount of ink to avoid overflowing ink into blood vessels. That said, it is impossible to avoid blood vessels completely when tattooing. And after tattooing you will have pigment in your body and blood vessels. Do not worry, as tattoo inks are formulated in a way that they do not cause harm after entering our bodies. And our body’s macrophage cells which are a part of the immune system are efficient enough to break down these pigments and then get rid of them.
FAQs
What is the beginner tattoo needle depth for lining?
The beginner tattoo needle depth for lining should be around 1.7mm to 2mm.
How deep should a tattoo needle go in inches?
A tattoo needle should go about 1/16 of an inch.
What is the ideal speed of a tattoo needle?
In general, a tattoo needle should move up and down at the speed of around 50 to 3000 per minute.
What is the best technique to get perfect needle depth?
There are two techniques for perfect needle depth, the first one is floating the needle and the second one is riding the tube. Between these two floating the needle is considered the best technique to get the perfect needle depth.
Final Thoughts
Needle depth is quite crucial for perfect tattooing. It takes a lot of time for a beginner tattoo artist to get the perfect needle depth. As a beginner or someone starting out tattooing, you need to correct your technique otherwise you won’t be able to get the correct needle depth. Between riding the tube and floating the tube technique I personally prefer the floating the needle technique for correct needle depth. I know floating the needle may feel a little bit complex and has a higher chance to make a mistake with needle depth. Still, I recommend it because when you will get used to the technique you will never make a mistake. If you do a lot of practice, yet the needle depth is causing issues then there is a high chance you have issues with your tattoo machine.
As I have mentioned before too shallow needle depth can cause tattoo fading and the tattoo won’t even last more than two months. And too deep of a tattoo needle depth can cause a tattoo blowout. So be careful to maintain the 1-2mm needle depth while tattooing.
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