Gizmodo
If you've ever considered getting a tattoo, it's probably for aesthetic purposes. That's all well and good, but in the near future getting a tattoo might be the best way to deliver vaccines, so if you go in for a new ink job you could also protect yourself from any number of diseases, including some cancers.
Some vaccines, when injected traditionally, fail to produce the necessary immune response. Researchers in Germany have found that by using a vibrating tattoo needle, they can get the optimal results. In tests on mice, using a tattoo needle produces 16 times more antibodies than by using a simple injection into muscle tissue. It may be tied to the greater damage to the body that tattoo needles produce.
It certainly would be interesting to have a permanent reminder of just when and how you were made immune from terrible, life-ending diseases, it would just suck to be forced into getting a tat in order to get the vaccine. Time will tell whether or not this becomes a viable or widespread technique. [BBC via Spulch]
Comments
I always thought Tramp Stamps ATTRACTED disease.
Smallpox vaccinations have been using a tattoo-like administration route for many many years.
<--stamped tramp(male)
Speaking of diseases..what's that red band around subject's waist? Looks like skin cancer.
@ferment78: Are you serious? I did not think men actually got tramp stamps?
That is one of the coolest (yet geekiest) tramp stamps I have ever seeen.
Does this mean your friendly neighborhood tattoo artist will need a medical degree or something?
For a moment I thought the picture was of a dude, but then I thought: guys don't get tramp stamps!
Disgusting.
Now my mom CAN'T say no!
"tramp stamp" is a new one for me. I always heard those referred to as "butt antlers."
A proudly tattooed infmom.
So, if you stick it to the chick in the picture, does your wang end up shooting fire balls?
Actually, this would be great for the cervical cancer vaccine that they are giving to teen girls now, which has gotton the reputation as being very painful. I think they would be more inclined to endure the pain if they got a tattoo out of the deal.
@Darrone: well played, Darrone. Well played.
@Darrone: No, not in that way. I am inked elsewhere...in a more masculine way....can we not discuss my manliness here and now...um...FIRE!!!
@DeCerbo: Well, it might burn when you pee, does that count?
In the meantime, you'll die of hepatitis. Have fun with all that.
I agree with Darrone. Imagine if every chick with a tramp stamp was also advertising that she was immune to genital warts, herpes, HIV, etc.
It's a brave new world where the back targets would signify safety...
Goodness gracious, great balls of fire!
Just as long as the "powers that be" don't decide that it would be a good Idea to tattoo your inoculations in the form of a bar code or identification number.
@ferment78: Tramp Stamp refers to the lower back tatoo, having ink doesn't make it a tramp stamp, having it in that one spot, where the only exposure it gets is in particularly trampy outfits, makes it a tramp stamp.
"Oh, I have a mark my dear. And no needle shall ever touch my skin again" - The only decent line from that movie.
@gothfae:
It always burns when I pee. It's like the Laser shot in Contra for the NES.
I would have put the tattoo quite a bit higher, to distract from that whole general area.
How are you going to keep track of of who's been innoculated with what unless you do it in the form of a bar code that you can scan to look up?
I like the design of this particular tramp stamp. The way I see it, it's a shiny red 110V outlet with a green arrow pointing to her butt, the meaning of which would be something like "plug in here, you're welcome".
Hmm well i got a full sleeve and half of one i think i should go back and do a body suit maybe then ill be immortal?
Not a "Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval" to be found.
Pity.
I always thought having an easy target for "temporary defacement" during "celebration" made it a tramp stamp. Probability of location in lower back is increased to minimize likliehood of stretching during pregnancy.
@infmom: butt antlers is actually the new one, they've been called tramp stamps since the beginning of time.
@ninjagin: Wasn't the last case of Small Pox found in the 1950's or 60's? (not counting small vials held in a couple labs)
@Franssu: Not a fireball flower from Super Mario Bros? Meaning her ass will make you piss fire for about a week after coming in contact.
now if they'd just make a birth control tattoo women would be exponentially sluttier.
some corporations DO not hire people who have tatoos.
You wouldn't necessarily have to get a tattoo. They could still use the needle without ink. I don't like the idea of a tramp stamp on everyone because then that target isn't so special.
I immediately stop talking to any girl with butt antlers. As you can imagine, this means I spend lots of time playing Super Stardust HD.
They have temporary tattoo ink that fades over a short period of time. If they can better control the decay rate, you can get one of the series inoculations (like HepB) where the doctor says "when you can no longer read the date tattooed on your arm, come back for your next shot." It would be a wearable, temporary, shot record.
..which actually might make a lot of sense for people going into hostile environments where medical records may get lost and vaccinations are generally required before departing.
@Amiash: Some corporations discriminate...which is a big no no.
"it would just suck to be forced into getting a tat in order to get the vaccine."
Yes. It WOULD suck. Good thing the original article says that's not the case:
"...the rapidly vibrating tattoo needle could be a useful way of delivering vaccines under the skin instead of insoluble ink."
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