Getting a tattoo can be a very painful experience, and anyone who says otherwise is either lying or has an unusual tolerance for pain. Having a bunch of needles repeatedly penetrate your skin, sometimes numerous times over the same area, is not the most pleasant experience imaginable, but thanks to the invention of UK-based startup Cipher X, your permanent tattoo doesn’t have to be a painful one.
Motivated by his own fear of blood and needles, Cipher X CEO Ferdinand Cole founded the company with the declared goal of fundamentally changing the centuries-old process of skin tattooing. He focused on microneedling technology, which was already used in cosmetology for some time, and came up with a tattooing process that he claims is virtually painless.
“What began as a personal question has evolved into a much larger exploration of how tattoos can be reimagined through modern engineering, manufacturing, and human-centered design,” Cole wrote in a recent press release.
The revolutionary tattooing process developed by Cipher X involves the use of patches covered in microscopic structures that carry a pigment and introduce it into the upper layers of the skin. The patch is applied using a specially-designed applicator and must be left in place for around 15 minutes for the pigment to be fully released.
The design first appears only faintly on the skin, but as the pigment settles into the skin, it darkens and becomes very visible within 24 to 48 hours. The process may sound similar to that of applying a temporary tattoo patch, but these are permanent tattoo stickers, so you will need a laser machine to have them removed, just like old-fashioned tattoos.
The appeal of a no-pain tattoo is obvious, but the technology developed by Cipher X has some serious limitations. For one, the designs are really small, because they need to fit inside a circular canvas measuring only 15mm across. The company currently offers a number of available designs, like hearts and emojis, but it has also announced plans to work with various tattoo artists to offer custom designs as well. Another notable limitation is that you are currently limited to black as a pigment color, and it’s unclear if Cipher X will ever introduce other pigments.
So you won’t be able to get a painless sleeve tattoo anytime soon, but if you’re looking for something small to start you off on your tattoo journey, or if you’ve always wanted to get some work done but couldn’t overcome your fear of needles, Cipher X’s new technology may be the solution you’ve been looking for. The bad news is that it’s currently limited to the company’s location in London for the time being.
