I got this 10 years ago. It's a constant source of irritation for me. The lines never stopped with the "swelling" so if you rub your hand over it, you can feel it raised up. It's also never stopped itching. It's gotten to the point I've ripped my skin up & caused bleeding from scratching. My Dr gave me some cream & I take benedryl, but it's not helping anymore. I think it's an allergic reaction. Does insurance (more specifically tricare/health net) cover some type of removal for this purpose?
August 6, 2018
Answer: Tattoo allergy Unfortunately you are unlikely to get any help from your insurance plan unless you have a cosmetic surgery rider. These are rather rare in today's market. If you choose to have it removed by laser be sure to review your symptoms with the treating physician. If you are allergic to the ink you may need to have it cut out. The laser removal displaces ink from the skin to the rest of the body (lymphatic system). If you are truly allergic this could set off a worse allergy. It is most common with red ink. Best of luck, Dr. M
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August 6, 2018
Answer: Tattoo allergy Unfortunately you are unlikely to get any help from your insurance plan unless you have a cosmetic surgery rider. These are rather rare in today's market. If you choose to have it removed by laser be sure to review your symptoms with the treating physician. If you are allergic to the ink you may need to have it cut out. The laser removal displaces ink from the skin to the rest of the body (lymphatic system). If you are truly allergic this could set off a worse allergy. It is most common with red ink. Best of luck, Dr. M
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August 6, 2018
Answer: Use the Best Technology Available and Have Patience Thanks for your question and posting pictures. It is highly unlikely that insurance will cover tattoo removal. They won't consider it medically necessary. Almost every tattoo can be completely removed with enough time and treatments. The most important factor in laser tattoo removal is patience. Older tattoos tend to clear faster than new ink because your body has had more time already trying to break down the ink.For laser tattoo removal you have two routes. We are constantly asked to repair the damage caused by q-switch lasers. Some damage is permanent. Make sure you know all of the facts before you start. I do not think darker skin patients should consider Q-switch lasers.The older nanosecond or Q-Switch lasers that came out about 20 years ago. The majority of former Q-Switch patients we see have significant hypopigmentation (ghosting) around and under their tattoo. The Q-Switch lasers have trouble differentiating between the melanin in your skin and ink. The technology uses heat to burn the pigment out of your skin. In addition, we have seen patients with raised scars as if they have been branded. Both of these condition are typically irreversible. Picosecond laser came out about 5 years ago. Every laser manufacturer has a different marketing hook to make you choose their laser. At the end of the day, it's about the technology and experience of the clinician. All PicoSecond lasers (like the Enlighten, PicoWay & PicoSure) fire 1000 times faster per second, using a pressure wave rather than heat to shear the ink molecules apart. The hype of extra wavelengths does not make that much of a difference. The 755 nm will get rid of most of the ink colors. For red and pink ink, you would need to make sure they have 532 nm. After using the PicoSure for 3 and half years, we have only seen pinpoint hypopigmentation in a very small number of patients usually of darker skin tones. We cannot say it is impossible to get burned with a Picosecond laser, but it is highly unlikely. We tell every PicoSure tattoo patient to expect at least 6 treatments, but don’t be surprised if it takes 10 to 12. Patience is the key for our patients. We typically see our tattoo removal patients every 8 to 12 weeks initially. We eventually encourage them to wait up to 6 months as the tattoos seem to continue to fade while they wait.Treatment prices vary by market. The cost for picosecond treatments will be higher, but you should need less than half the treatments compared to a nanosecond laser. The patch is only used with the older nanosecond lasers. Best of luck
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August 6, 2018
Answer: Use the Best Technology Available and Have Patience Thanks for your question and posting pictures. It is highly unlikely that insurance will cover tattoo removal. They won't consider it medically necessary. Almost every tattoo can be completely removed with enough time and treatments. The most important factor in laser tattoo removal is patience. Older tattoos tend to clear faster than new ink because your body has had more time already trying to break down the ink.For laser tattoo removal you have two routes. We are constantly asked to repair the damage caused by q-switch lasers. Some damage is permanent. Make sure you know all of the facts before you start. I do not think darker skin patients should consider Q-switch lasers.The older nanosecond or Q-Switch lasers that came out about 20 years ago. The majority of former Q-Switch patients we see have significant hypopigmentation (ghosting) around and under their tattoo. The Q-Switch lasers have trouble differentiating between the melanin in your skin and ink. The technology uses heat to burn the pigment out of your skin. In addition, we have seen patients with raised scars as if they have been branded. Both of these condition are typically irreversible. Picosecond laser came out about 5 years ago. Every laser manufacturer has a different marketing hook to make you choose their laser. At the end of the day, it's about the technology and experience of the clinician. All PicoSecond lasers (like the Enlighten, PicoWay & PicoSure) fire 1000 times faster per second, using a pressure wave rather than heat to shear the ink molecules apart. The hype of extra wavelengths does not make that much of a difference. The 755 nm will get rid of most of the ink colors. For red and pink ink, you would need to make sure they have 532 nm. After using the PicoSure for 3 and half years, we have only seen pinpoint hypopigmentation in a very small number of patients usually of darker skin tones. We cannot say it is impossible to get burned with a Picosecond laser, but it is highly unlikely. We tell every PicoSure tattoo patient to expect at least 6 treatments, but don’t be surprised if it takes 10 to 12. Patience is the key for our patients. We typically see our tattoo removal patients every 8 to 12 weeks initially. We eventually encourage them to wait up to 6 months as the tattoos seem to continue to fade while they wait.Treatment prices vary by market. The cost for picosecond treatments will be higher, but you should need less than half the treatments compared to a nanosecond laser. The patch is only used with the older nanosecond lasers. Best of luck
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