Epidermal Barrier Function and Skin Homeostasis in Skin with Permanent and Adhesive Tattoos: A Cross-Sectional Study

An Analysis of the Content and Recommendations of 700 American Tattoo Aftercare Instructions

BACKGROUND

Tattoo aftercare instructions describe how to care for a new tattoo. Unfortunately, tattoo artists often base their advice on personal experience rather than best practices in medical wound management. The diversity of recommendations in these instructions is currently unknown.

OBJECTIVES

Our review was performed to determine current recommendations in tattoo aftercare instructions in the United States.

METHODS

Using a Google search, a total of 700 aftercare instructions from all 50 states and Washington D.C. were collected and their contents analyzed.

RESULTS

Most instructions encouraged washing new tattoos with antibiotic soaps, including chlorhexidine, and 14.9% encouraged using topical antibiotics. Few instructed individuals to wash their hands before touching a healing tattoo. A total of 70 moisturizers were recommended. Of these, 22 were niche products made specifically for tattoo aftercare. Only a subset of instructions provided parameters about when to contact the tattooist (49.9%) and/or a physician (19.4%) should there be a complication in the healing process.

CONCLUSION

The content and recommendations of the 700 instructions vary tremendously. Many lacked instructions on appropriate hygiene and when to seek medical care. As skin and wound care experts, there may be an opportunity for the dermatology community to partner with tattooists to create more useful evidence-based tattoo aftercare practices.

Microbiota and Mitochondrial Sex-Dependent Imbalance in Fibromyalgia: A Pilot Descriptive Study

Fibromyalgia is a widespread chronic condition characterized by pain and fatigue. Among the long list of physiological disturbances linked to this syndrome, mitochondrial imbalance and oxidative stress stand out. Recently, the crosstalk between mitochondria and intestinal microbiota has caught the attention of biomedical researchers, who have found connections between this axis and several inflammatory and pain-related conditions. Hence, this pilot descriptive study focused on characterizing the mitochondrial mass/mitophagy ratio and total antioxidant capacity in PBMCs, as well as some microbiota components in feces, from a Peruvian cohort of 19 females and 7 males with FM. Through Western blotting, electrochemical oxidation, ELISA, and real-time qPCR, we determined VDAC1 and MALPLC3B protein levels; total antioxidant capacity; secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) levels; and Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes, Bacteroides/Prevotella, and Roseburia/Eubacterium ratios; as well as Ruminococcus spp., Pseudomonas spp., and Akkermansia muciniphila levels, respectively. We found statistically significant differences in Ruminococcus spp. and Pseudomonas spp. levels between females and males, as well as a marked polarization in mitochondrial mass in both groups. Taken together, our results point to a mitochondrial imbalance in FM patients, as well as a sex-dependent difference in intestinal microbiota composition.

The Assessment of Skin Homeostasis Changes after Using Different Types of Excipients in Healthy Individuals

Excipients are used as vehicles for topical treatments; however, there are not many studies that evaluate the impact of different excipients themselves. The aim of this research is to assess skin homeostasis changes in healthy individuals after using water/oil (W/O), oil/water (O/W), Beeler base, foam and Vaseline excipients. A within-person randomized trial was conducted that included healthy individuals without previous skin diseases. Skin barrier function parameters, including stratum corneum hydration (SCH), transepidermal water loss (TEWL), pH, temperature, erythema, melanin and elasticity (R0, R2, R5 and R7), were measured on the volar forearm before and after using each excipient. Sixty participants were included in the study, with a mean age of 32 years. After applying w/o excipient erythema decreased by 25 AU, (p < 0.001) and elasticity increased by 6%. After using the o/w excipient, erythema decreased by 39.36 AU (p < 0.001) and SCH increased by 6.85 AU (p = 0.009). When applying the Beeler excipient, erythema decreased by 41.23 AU (p < 0.001) and SCH increased by 15.92 AU (p < 0.001). Foam and Vaseline decreased TEWL and erythema. Excipients have a different impact on skin barrier function. Knowing the effect of excipients on the skin could help to develop new topical treatments and help specialists to choose the best excipient according to the pathology.