Tattoo takeback

[thedrifter]

Tattoo takeback
Laser removal is painful option for those feeling the sting of regret
By Ryan Holeywell -
Posted : May 21, 2007

For 10 years, tattoo artist Steve Huntsberry has worked at his shop in Charlotte, N.C., removing tattoos with a laser and coming face to face every day with his customers’ big mistakes. He has removed more tattoos than he can count, but there are some he’ll never forget.

Like the guy who had a pair of eyes tattooed on a private part of his body.

“He decided he didn’t want those anymore,” said Huntsberry, 33. “I felt for him. I really did.”

Empathy for those who seek tattoo removal — and his own experience regretting bad tattoos — is what led Huntsberry to offer tattoo removal services within his own tattoo shop, named, ironically enough, Immortal Images.

“We all make bad decisions sometimes,” Huntsberry said, sheepishly admitting his first tattoo — a Grim Reaper he got on his left arm at age 15 — was also among the first to be removed. “I understand what it is like having a bad tattoo, having something you don’t want to look at every day.”

For years, dermatologists removed tattoos using dermabrasion tools that essentially sanded off tattoos, or caustic salt solutions that burned the skin. But since 1986, they have used a tool called a Q-switched laser that rarely leaves scars or damage but requires multiple, painful treatments that can end up costing thousands. Now, more and more tattoo artists like Huntsberry are offering the laser service themselves, generally at a lower cost, but setting off debate in the process.

Some dermatologists and medical groups say the work is safe only when done by a physician in a doctor’s office; tattoo artists argue they know how skin, tattoo pigments and lasers interact and can provide an environment where their tattooed customers feel comfortable.
Worth the pain

There are few national figures on annual tattoo removal, but a survey conducted in 2004 and reported in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology found 24 percent of Americans ages 18 to 50 had tattoos, and of those, 17 percent were considering having them removed.

Tattoo removal has been a robust business for Huntsberry, who eliminates 20 to 30 tattoos each week. Immortal Images makes more money on removals than on the tattoo work of all four of its artists combined, Huntsberry said.

He said he strives to be honest with his customers about the procedure, which can result in second-degree burns with swelling, blistering and the possibility of infection.
Expensive process

Terry Welker, who owns five Eternal Tattoos shops outside Detroit, has offered tattoo removal at one shop for three years. He said his price is $150 a session — removal usually requires at least three sessions — while area doctors charge $300 to $500 a session.

David Goldberg, a dermatologist and lawyer in New York, said his practice charges $400 to $1,000 a session, and the procedure is almost never covered by insurance.

In February, Welker’s shop started laser removal of a tattoo on the arm of Mike Battaglia, 23. Although the pain was “absolutely horrible,” Battaglia said, he was pleased with the service.

“They’re around it every day,” he said. “They know what they’re doing with it.”

Although complications are rare, proper laser tattoo removal requires using the correct type of laser, understanding the reaction of tissue to laser and knowing how to treat the area after the procedure, said Roy Geronemus, a former president of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, in an e-mail.

“Clearly, tattoo artists are not qualified or trained to practice medicine,” Geronemus said. “Not a week goes by where I don’t see complications from tattoo removal by unqualified individuals.”
State control

The legal questions surrounding who can perform laser tattoo removal are complicated, as well, because no national standard exists. The Food and Drug Administration does not regulate who can buy and use tattoo lasers, leaving it up to states instead.

Goldberg said some states allow only doctors to operate tattoo lasers, others require varying degrees of doctor supervision and some don’t regulate laser procedures.

State medical boards in North Carolina, Michigan and Florida, for instance, consider someone performing laser tattoo removal to be practicing medicine. They say the only people who can perform the procedure legally are physicians or people working under a physician’s supervision.

But state health officials in Michigan and Florida say that position is based on the boards’ interpretation of the law and that there are no laws or statutes in these states that specifically say laser tattoo removal is a medical procedure.

They also say those most likely to face potential legal action are those operating facilities in which someone has been injured.

Ryan Holeywell writes for USA Today.
6 things to know before you un-ink

Tattoo removal can be painful and expensive, so experts say people should think carefully and educate themselves before going under the laser.

Here are six factors to consider:

1. The process: Ask how much experience the operator has, and ask the person to explain the process in detail. “Make sure the person doing the treatment really understands exactly what’s happening and how it works,” said Steve Huntsberry, owner of the Immortal Images tattoo shop in Charlotte, N.C.


2. The portfolio: Ask to see a portfolio of the operator’s work. Make sure that before-and-after photos are actual photos of the laser operator’s patients.


3. The response: Consider how your tattoos will respond to the treatment, said David Goldberg, a dermatologist and lawyer in New York. Amateur tattoos come off more quickly and completely than do professional tattoos, and blue, black, red and green respond best. Yellow tattoos don’t respond to laser removal treatment, and white tattoos can become darker. Patients should have realistic expectations and know that multiple laser treatments will be required, Goldberg said.


4. The lasers: Different lasers are required for different colors of ink, so make sure the proper lasers are being used, said Roy Geronemus, a New York dermatologist and former president of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery. For instance, green tattoos can be laser-removed only by devices called Q-switched ruby or Q-switched alexandrite lasers; red tattoos, with Q-switched neodymium-YAG lasers.


5. The makeup look: Cosmetic tattoos — tattoos that serve as a permanent application of makeup — require special types of lasers and significant skill to remove. If you have those types of tattoos, make sure the laser operator is experienced in that area.


6. The skin types: Darker skin can pose challenges to laser operators because the increased pigmentation of the skin competes with the pigment of the tattoos. People who are Asian, Hispanic or black should ask about the laser operator’s experience working with people who have darker skin.

— USA Today

Ellie

[thedrifter]

New regulations rule out free removals
By C. Mark Brinkley - cmark@militarytimes.com
Posted : May 21, 2007

Whether it’s a Tijuana special or a daily reminder of a love long lost, tattoos often go awry. Such is the nature of having something permanently etched into your skin.

There was a time when that artwork gone wrong could be eliminated, free of charge, at larger military hospitals. But with changes in the Defense Department regulations for cosmetic surgery that took effect last year, free tattoo removal for troops is mostly a thing of the past.

No, that doesn’t mean you’re stuck with “Jenny 4 Ever.”

Elective tattoo removal is still available in the military health system, but the odds are strong you’ll have to pay for it.

At Naval Medical Center San Diego, for instance, troops who want to have a tattoo removed now start with their primary care provider, officials there said. This will generally lead to a referral to the Dermatology Laser Clinic, where the patient is evaluated and the work is sized up.

If there’s no room in the schedule, the patient goes on a 28-day waiting list, hospital officials said. No room for tattoo removal this month? The service member is instead referred to a civilian clinic and must absorb 100 percent of the removal cost.

Those lucky enough to make the waiting list get a bill up front, which must be paid in full before work begins, hospital officials said. The price varies — depending on the size of the tattoo, number of ink colors to be removed and so on — but is still generally considered competitive with, or even cheaper than, work done in a civilian clinic.

A few zaps with a laser, then a few more, then a few more, stretched out across multiple visits, and the offending ink is usually gone.

Civilian prices can vary, too, but figure on $35 per square inch or more, depending on size and colors. That’s per session, remember, so plan on dropping a serious chunk of change to remove the tattoo completely. Many of the civilian specialists we found offer discounts to military personnel, however, so be sure and take your ID to the appointment.

And keep in mind, these rules often don’t apply to command-directed tattoo removals and medically necessary reconstructive surgery, Defense Department health officials said.

That includes “traumatic tattoos” — patches of coloration on the skin caused by roadside bomb explosions or other on-the-job hazards — that would likely be fully covered under the military medical system and qualify for free removal.

While policies regarding what’s “prejudicial to good order and discipline” vary among the services, consider the acronym “RISE” as your rule of thumb. If it’s racist, indecent, sexist or extremist, don’t get it inked — or your commander may make a date for you with a laser.

Ellie