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Can Arm Tattoo of This Magnitude Be Excised & Grafted Successfully? (Laser Treatments Not Working)

asked 1 year ago by LuvLife31 in Los Angeles, CA
Latest answer by Daniel Berg, MD
Question viewed 399 times
Tags: arms, excision, fade, Q-switch

I'm seeking tattoo excision and grafting of my right forearm after a horribly botched tattoo procedure. I've had 3 Q-switch laser treatments, but there's barely any fading & doc says it'll never fade completely. I'll pay any amount of money to get it removed (& extra for anesthesia for pain). But can a tatt this large (wraps around forearm, from wrist to just below elbow) be excised serially? I can't find info online for excised tatts larger than a few inches.

2 answers to Can Arm Tattoo of This Magnitude Be Excised & Grafted Successfully? (Laser Treatments Not Working)

+1

Different lasers work better for some tattoo inks

1. The involved area is too large to excise without skin grafting which would be quite visibe - comparable to a burn scar. 2. I'd consider having a few test areas treated with differerent q-switched lasers. For eg., green doesn't respond to Q-YAG laser but might respond to alexandrite. Try and find a laser expert with different lasers.
Daniel Berg, MD

Seattle Dermatologic Surgeon
+1

Serial excision of large tattoo

A serial excision would not provide enough laxity of skin to allow complete removal as you indicate that the tattoo wraps around the forearm.  I doubt that a plastic surgeon could utilize chronic skin expansion to inflate a sterile surgically implanted balloon and inflate it every two weeks, as this probably can not provide enough skin. You may get good improvement in lightening the tattoo but make sure you're seeing a laser expert who has enough lasers to combat the different... more
Ronald Shelton, MD

Manhattan Dermatologist

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