Is there a temporary tattoo technology that looks permanent and lasts
longer than henna, but can be removed fairly easily?

Hi,

The short answer is no.  The very nature of temporary tattoos limits
their lifetime to three or four weeks.

The difference between permanent and temporary tattoos is that
permanent ones are made by placing ink in the lower layer of the skin,
known as the dermis.  Because the dermis doesn't replenish itself as
the outer layer of skin (the epidermis) does, ink placed there remains
there.

Temporary tattoos, on the other hand, involve coloring, painting,
overlaying or dyeing the epidermis.  So the life of those temporary
tattoos is limited by the lifetime of the skin cells that are so
treated.  The epidermal cells are constantly replaced.  New cells grow
in the lower part of the epidermis, replacing old ones.  In effect,
humans shed their skin one cell at a time (which is where much
household dust comes from).

Here are some articles that indicate how the skin replenishes itself:
http://www.cooltheburn.com/learn/body/skin.html
http://www.sciencenews.org/20000819/fob5.asp
http://www.dermatology.co.uk/psoriasis/whatispsoriasisthecausesandlongtermoutlook/article/article.asp?ArticleID=1351
http://www.clevelandclinic.org/florida/research/health/psoriasis.htm

You can find other articles on skin development with this Google
search:
://www.google.com/search?hl=es&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&q=%22skin+cells+are+replaced%22

As you may notice, the articles indicate that normal skin cells
typically last about three to four weeks before they are sloughed off
(the rate can vary with the part of the body, a person's health,
injuries and other factors).  Since you skin is continually being
"lost" and replaced, the lifetime of that skin becomes the limit for
the lifetime of any temporary marking.  Even though henna or even
permanent markers' coloring lasts indefinitely (in fact, henna is
sometimes used in "permanent" hair coloring), the cells that have been
colored leave the body, taking the artificial skin coloring with them.

You may also be interested in these articles that explain how
permanent tattoos work:
http://www.howstuffworks.com/tattoo4.htm
http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/0684.html

I hope this has answered your question.

Sincerely,

mvguy

Fast, thorough response.  Thanks.

I would guess the answer is no, but I can't prove it.  Henna is a
"permanent" dye, one that is sometimes used in hair coloring, but it
disappears as skin cells slough off (just as would ink from a
"permanent" marker).  As I understand it, if you want something that
lasts longer you'd have to put dye in a lower layer of skin, which is
just what permanent tattoos do.

It doesn't help directly on the permanence issue, but if you want, you
can make your own temporary tattoos using special paper and a normal
inkjet printer. I can't vouch for how well they work, but they may be
worth a try.

If you save the artwork on your computer, you can print out a dozen
copies of a given tattoo and reapply it every few days or weeks, to
give the impression of permanence. You can also experiment, if you're
artistically inclined, with shadings (add some of a color's
complement, especially around the edges, as a first step) that might
simulate the depth of a real tattoo while remaining on the surface.

Here's one seller of the paper:
http://www.modeldecal.com/tattoopaper.html

many others are to be found with a google search for keywords inkjet
tattoo paper
://www.google.com/search?q=inkjet+tattoo+paper

Hi there,

I have been using my own henna mixture for both tattoos and my
hair...Henna tattoos can last much longer depending on what mixture
you use.  Instead of using water as a base try making black tea and
using the water from the tea...(just a tip!)

Real tattoos don't hurt very much - What's stopping you?  hehehe

Unfortunately nothing like this exists, HENNA TATTOOS last 1-3 Weeks
and one company with some great supplies is Natural Expressions
located here: http://www.naturalexpressions.org