- Membership & Community
-
Publications & News
- Journals
-
Newsroom
-
The Physiologist Magazine
- 2019
- 2020
- 2021
- 2022
- 2023
-
Mentoring Forum
- Net Worth
- Take Care
- You … In Charge
- Work. It. Out.
- Working Off-site
- Location, Location, Location?
- Student Support
- Progressing to Postdoc
- Relationship Building
- Let’s Get It Started
- What Do We Value?
- It’s a Postdoc Life
- Coronavirus Contributions
- Creative Communications
- Selection Process
- Conference Connections
- Postdoc Appreciation
- Research Rewards
- Focus on Teaching
- Industry Insights
- Balance Beam
- Post Postdoc
- Mentoring Q&A
- The Physiologist Magazine Readers Survey
- Evolution
- Baseline by Scott Steen, CAE, FASAE
- Find Us on Social Media
-
The Physiologist Magazine
-
Professional Development
-
Meetings & Events
-
American Physiology Summit
- Abstracts
- Awards at the Summit
- Building APS 2023
- Game Changers
- Hotel Information
- Important Dates and Deadlines
- Industry Partners
- Keynote Speaker—David Julius, PhD
- Meet the Organizers
- Press Registration
- Registration
- Schedule at a Glance
- Shaping the Summit
- Summit FAQs
- Summit Newsroom
- Summit Store
- Team 2023 Task Force
- Travel & Transportation
- Liability Waiver
- Shocklogic Test
- APS 2023 Monthly Polls
- Scientific Integrity Policy
- Pre-Summit Center for Physiology Education Workshop
- Pre-Summit Center for Physiology Education Workshop Registration
- Comparative Physiology: From Organisms to Omics in an Uncertain World
- Webinars
- Related Meetings
- Future APS Conferences
- Past APS Conferences
- Experimental Biology
- Conference Policies
-
American Physiology Summit
- Awards
-
Career & Professional Development
-
Career Gateway
-
Resources
- Transcript—Leading Through Conflict and Difficult Conversations
- Transcript—Managing Conflict with Colleagues
- Transcript—Leading a Team Through Conflict
- Transcript—Providing Difficult Feedback
- Transcript—Team Dynamics and Culture Primer
- Transcript—Building a Team
- Transcript—Leading a Team Assigned to You
- Transcript—Creating a Team Culture
-
Resources
- Career Navigator
- Center for Physiology Education
- Job Board
- Professional Skills Training Courses
- Medical Physiology Refreshers
- Mentoring
- APS Graduate Physiology & Biomedical Science Catalog
-
Career Gateway
-
Meetings & Events
-
Advocacy & Resources
- Policy Areas
-
Resources
- Researcher Resources
- Educator Resources
- Trainee Resources
- Student Resources
-
APS Graduate Physiology & Biomedical Science Catalog
- Augusta University
- Brandeis University
- Chatham University
- Des Moines University
- East Tennessee State University
- George Washington University
- Kansas State University
- Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine
- Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Shreveport
- Marquette University
- Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences—Biomedical Engineering & Physiology
- Medical College of Wisconsin
- Michigan State University
- New York Medical College
- Nova Southeastern University
- Pennsylvania State University
- Rutgers Graduate Program in Physiology and Integrative Biology
- Saint Louis University
- Southern Illinois University
- Texas A&M University
- Texas A&M University Medical Physiology
- Stony Brook University
- The University of Arizona
- The University of Iowa
- The University of Mississippi Medical Center
- The University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC)
- The University of Texas at Arlington
- University of Alabama at Birmingham
- University at Buffalo
- University of California, Davis
- University of Colorado
- University of Delaware
- University of Florida
- University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine
- University of Louisville
- University of Michigan
- University of Minnesota
- University of Missouri-Biomedical Sciences
- University of Nebraska Medical Center
- University of New Mexico
- University of Oregon
- University of South Carolina School of Medicine
- University of Texas Health Science Center
- Wayne State University
- Physiology Department Catalog Submission Form
- Career Gateway
- Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
- Advocacy
- About APS
Rockville, Md. (September 25, 2020)—New research finds that tattooed skin does not sweat as much as non-inked areas of the body, which may have implications for the body’s ability to cool in people with extensive tattooing. The first-of-its-kind study is published ahead of print in the Journal of Applied Physiology.
Normal sweating helps regulate body temperature. Eccrine sweat glands, found throughout the body, produce a primarily water-based sweat to cool the body. Damage to the eccrine glands may impair sweating response, which in turn may increase the risk of overheating. Previous studies have found that tattooed skin had a higher concentration of sodium in the sweat, which suggests reduced function of the eccrine sweat ducts. The process of applying a tattoo requires up to 3,000 skin punctures per minute, which could result in sweat gland damage.
Researchers studied volunteers with tattoos on their upper or lower arms measuring at least 5.6 square centimeters and adjacent areas of non-tattooed skin. To promote a whole-body sweating response, the volunteers wore a perfusion suit that circulated hot water upwards of 120 degrees F for 30 minutes or more. The research team measured the participants’ internal body temperature and sweat rate and skin temperature on both tattooed and non-tattooed areas of skin on the same arm. The researchers also used laser techniques to measure blood flow in the skin. However, the blood flow measures were unreliable, likely due to the reflective or absorbent properties of inks used in the participants’ tattoos.
The research team found that the tattooed and non-tattooed areas began to sweat at roughly the same time in response to heat, which suggests that the nerve signals to the sweat glands function normally in tattooed skin. However, the reduction in sweat produced may indicate that glandular damage occurred during the repetitive puncturing of the skin when a tattoo is applied. Although small tattoos are less likely to interfere with overall body temperature regulation, decreased sweating in tattooed skin “could impact heat dissipation especially when tattooing covers a higher percentage of body surface area,” the researchers wrote.
“The primary new finding in the current study is that peripheral [hair follicle-containing] skin of the arm containing tattoos has reduced sweat rates, and thus potential heat loss capacity, during [whole-body heating] compared to adjacent skin without tattoos,” the researchers wrote. “These data indicate that the collateral effects of the tattooing process negatively impact eccrine sweat gland function and could be considered a potential long-term complication or side effect of this cosmetic procedure,” they added.
Read the full article, “Skin tattooing impairs sweating during passive whole-body heating,” published ahead of print in the Journal of Applied Physiology.
NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: To schedule an interview with a member of the research team, please contact the APS Communications Office or call 301.634.7314. Find more research highlights in our Newsroom.
Physiology is a broad area of scientific inquiry that focuses on how molecules, cells, tissues and organs function in health and disease. The American Physiological Society connects a global, multidisciplinary community of more than 10,000 biomedical scientists and educators as part of its mission to advance scientific discovery, understand life and improve health. The Society drives collaboration and spotlights scientific discoveries through its 16 scholarly journals and programming that support researchers and educators in their work.
Related Content
- THC in Cannabis May Reduce Platelet Function
- Slower Heart Rate Protects against Heart Enlargement, Limits Exercise Capacity
- EEP Section Resources
- Exercise + Sauna = Better Cardiovascular Function
- High-fat Diet Induces High Blood Pressure in Rat Kidneys
- Find Us on Social Media
- Menthol Found to Be Most Dangerous Flavor in E-cigarettes
Contact Us
Communications Department
844.526.1700