Are you planning to get a tattoo anytime soon? You need to read this before you get one.

If you think tattoos are cool and have been dying to get one on your skin, then you should probably look away right now so that your fantasy bubble does not get burst.

The YouTube host of the show ‘Smarter Everyday‘, Destin Sandlin has covered the science of tattooing in the recent episode and while the science part is as fascinating as ever, the video conveys the underlying pain that comes along with a tattoo.

The slow-motion videos cover the mechanical working of tattoo machines, showing how they inject the ink into the skin. The coil tattoo machine is dependent on a circuit which is attached to two solenoid coils. The coils generate a magnetic field and pulls the bar magnet upwards and downwards, causing the needle to move along this movement. The circuit is broken and completed with the downward and upward position of the bar magnet, respectively. Needles with different number of ends are used for different purposes such as, fewer ends are used for outlining whereas needles with 25 ends are used for shading or colouring purposes.

Image: Smarter Every Day

The slow-motion cameras have also covered the tattoo machines doing their magic on the skin of a client. The sharp needles prick into the dermis at a fast rate of 50 to 3000 times per minute, releasing the ink into the skin. Since the skin is literally getting hurt by the action of the needles, the body takes quick action against the foreign particles and the white blood cells come to the rescue. However, this defense mechanism of the body is exactly what makes the tattoo permanent.

The video makes the audience shiver with fear and pain each time the needle pushes against the customer’s skin. So, do you still wish to get the tattoo you always dreamed of?

Source: Vox