Will insurance cover removal of a tattoo that I am allergic to? (Photo)

Thank you for your question in regards to tattoo removal. Unfortunately, insurance will not cover any cost to remove a tattoo. To be sure what is best for you, see two or more board-certified providers in your area for a complete evaluation to make sure you are a good candidate and that it is safe for you to have treatment. I hope this helps.

I can't speak to your insurance coverage, but this is unlikely covered. This can be removed with laser tattoo removal. Tattoos should be removed with q switched or pico lasers. We also use the pfd patch to help speed up the process. It will take a series of treatments, but it's difficult to determine how many sessions will be needed. I recommend getting a formal evaluation with a laser tattoo removal expert. Best, Dr. Emer

Thanks for posting photos. Insurance will not cover removal of your tattoo, but I do recommend you get it removed. Find a professional near you and get a free quote. Best of luck.

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

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

I’m sorry you’re having discomfort from your tattoo.
Your health insurer can answer that question for you. There should be a customer service number on the back of your card.

Thanks for your question. Unfortunately, insurance would not likely cover laser tattoo removal. In fact, laser tattoo removal would likely WORSEN the reaction locally and it could even cause a widespread allergic reaction (involving more that just the skin at the site, in other words). By breaking the ink into smaller particles your body may react to it even more. It may make sense to see a dermatologist or plastic surgeon to see if excision is an option (hard to tell the size of this based on your photo)- and perhaps that could be coded in such a way that insurance would cover the procedure.
Best,
Lisa Vuich, MD