Removal of tattoos is on a roll

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Removal of tattoos is on a roll
May 29, 2010
COLTER HETTICH
Reporter-News

he Dallas Tattoo Removal Clinic pulled into a northside parking lot about an hour before the advertised opening time Saturday, but people already were waiting.

The clinic-on-wheels stops in Abilene once a month, offering its service at a price few can compete with: $75 for 4 square inches.

Mike Whitehurst, laser technician at the clinic, said the number of gang-related tattoos in Abilene has dropped tremendously since the early 2000s, but the clinic’s total number of patients has increased steadily.

The clinic serviced 22 people Saturday.

Glinda Grimes, the clinic’s cofounder, said employers in today’s economy do not want to see tattoos on the hands, face or neck. Melissa Kennedy had the name of her 6-year-old son removed from the left side of her neck.

“I’d rather not, but it’s worth it to get a job,” Kennedy said. “I just assume they wouldn’t hire me.”

Fifteen-year-old David Garcia does not need to assume. Garcia has been denied by employers who told him the tattoos on his left hand and wrist would have to go.

A friend inked Garcia’s initials on his hand and three triangular dots on his wrist less than a year ago.

“I wasn’t thinking at the time,” Garcia said. “It’s definitely made me think twice.”

The latest laser technology carries little or no risk of scarring and can even reduce the visibility of scars caused by earlier procedures.

Reports vary regarding the pain associated with tattoo removal, which often requires multiple sessions.
Whitehurst said the ink explodes when contacted by the laser.

The deeper the ink, the more painful the procedure.

Whitehurst said most modern tattoos are “light-handed” — which means they are closer to the surface for sharpness and clarity.

Gang-related tattoos are often “heavy-handed” and feature the most difficult ink to remove: an alcohol-based green.

“Tattoos is all we do; it is one of the most-needed procedures,” Whitehurst said. “Good economy, bad economy — people need their tattoos taken off.”

Officer Michael Janusz of the Abilene Police Department returned for his fourth session Saturday.

The mouse on his forearm — what is left of it — was a souvenir from a 1975 trip to Mexico.

Janusz tried to have it removed in China but realized it would cost less in the U.S.

“I wanted to get it done years ago,” Janusz said. “People tend to think less of people with tattoos; maybe they think you’re not as intelligent.”