The laser clinic at Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH) here is turning into a studio with a purpose. Many youngsters, especially teenaged girls, with tattoos are making a beeline for this clinic to have their body art removed. They feel that the removal will enhance their chances of landing respectable jobs and settle down in life.
“The clinic received more than 50 cases since the launch of the laser procedure in mid-2013,” says P. Sathish, Assistant Professor, Department of Dermatology. Elaborating on the nature of cases, doctors say a majority of visitors are youth who have finished their college education. “They come here to correct a mistake they had made a few years ago. Most of them look forward to getting married and establishing a career.”
The procedure is done with a pen-like device called Q-switched ND YAG laser that shoots a dot of red light on the patient’s tattooed skin. “It is pain-free and cost-free as well,” Dr. Sathish says.
It takes six to seven sittings with a gap of three weeks between each appointment to completely remove a tattoo. It takes five minutes to a few hours during each sitting, depending on the size, intricacy and colours used.
While the doctors claim that the treatment has a 90 per cent success rate, a few tattoo masters in the city say tattoos cannot be removed through laser treatment. “During the procedure, the colour is only pushed deeper into the dermis and not sucked out. Hence, the tattoo cannot be completely removed. Further, the pigments in the tattoo absorb the light from the laser which causes cell damage,” claimed K. Dhayan of Madura Tattoos.
“We also come across requests for tattoo removal. In such cases, we suggest a ‘superimpose’ on the tattooed skin,” he added.
But the free facility at the GRH, where tattoo removal is performed under the supervision of medical professionals, is bound to attract more people as removal is as expensive as tattooing in private parlours.