Question:
Relatives of a patient state during postmortem examination that the deceased had a tattoo which is now invisible. How can it be identified?
Relatives of a patient state during postmortem examination that the deceased had a tattoo which is now invisible. How can it be identified?
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Dermal pigment drains somewhere and stays there even after the skin mark fades.
Updated On: Jun 23, 2026
- Examine the lymph node
- Spectrophotometer
- Ordinary light
- X-ray
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The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
Answer: Examine the lymph node.
Step 1: A tattoo is permanent when dye penetrates the dermis. From the dermis, pigment is taken up by macrophages and drains to the regional lymph nodes.
Step 2: When a tattoo has faded or the epidermis is lost (as in decomposition), the surface mark may be invisible, but pigment deposition persists in the nearby (regional) lymph nodes. Examining these lymph nodes reveals the pigment and confirms the tattoo.
Step 3: Other methods such as infrared photography, an ultraviolet lamp, or a magnifying lens after rubbing can make a faded tattoo visible on the skin, but among the given options the lymph node examination is the identifying method, especially when the surface mark is gone. Ordinary light and plain X-ray will not show a faded tattoo. Ref: Forensic Medicine textbooks (tattoo identification).
Step 1: A tattoo is permanent when dye penetrates the dermis. From the dermis, pigment is taken up by macrophages and drains to the regional lymph nodes.
Step 2: When a tattoo has faded or the epidermis is lost (as in decomposition), the surface mark may be invisible, but pigment deposition persists in the nearby (regional) lymph nodes. Examining these lymph nodes reveals the pigment and confirms the tattoo.
Step 3: Other methods such as infrared photography, an ultraviolet lamp, or a magnifying lens after rubbing can make a faded tattoo visible on the skin, but among the given options the lymph node examination is the identifying method, especially when the surface mark is gone. Ordinary light and plain X-ray will not show a faded tattoo. Ref: Forensic Medicine textbooks (tattoo identification).
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