Dyes commonly used in tattooing are:
- Black color: India Ink (MC used); China Ink, Soot
- Blue: Prussian blue (ferric ferrocyanide); Cobalt, Indigo, Ultramarine
- Green: Chromic oxide
- Red: Cinnabar, vermillion
- Brown: Ochre
Methods to make tattoo readily visible are: Infrared photography
- Ultraviolet light
- Rubbing the part and examining under magnifying glass
- Treating with hydrogen peroxide and 0.5% caustic potash
- Histological examination of regional lymph nodes may show tattoo pigment deposition.