Is it possible to remove a tattoo on my arm while I'm put under for a mommy makeover? (Photo)

Question

Attached you will find a picture of the tattoo. I'm also extremely overwhelmed by the amount of plastic surgeons in LA. What should I be asking during my consultations to make sure I find the right one for me? Thank you in advance!

Frank Lista, MD · Answer

Hi, thanks for your question. Tattoo removal is quite complex and takes many sessions over several months, so although in theory, your surgeon could start a first treatment while you were undergoing your mommy makeover, this is not common, and you would still need to undergo several treatment sessions following your surgery. If you are interested in a mommy makeover, I would recommend undergoing this procedure first, fully recovering from it, then tackling the tattoo. As for finding the right surgeon, be sure to ask a lot of questions, make sure that your surgeon has a lot of experience in the surgery you are seeking out. Ask about how many surgeries of this type your surgeon performs, ask to look at before and after photos. Also, a good surgeon is one that listens to your questions and concerns, and has a true understanding of your goals. You also want to be sure your surgeon will be following you from start to finish. From your first consultation, until your final result, which often fully appears about 6 months to a year following surgery. Most importantly you want to feel comfortable with your surgeon. Don't hesitate to visit as many surgeons as you need before you choose someone that you trust and that you feel comfortable with.

Camille Cash, MD · Answer

Removing a tattoo with a laser takes multiple sessions.  This can be done safely in an office setting.  
Regarding selection of a surgeon, I encourage you to visit the ASPS website.  Here you can find board certified plastic surgeons in your area, review credentials and look at before/after photos.  You can then schedule consultations with those who meet your criteria.

Mats Hagstrom, MD (license on probation) · Answer

I’m assuming you are referring to direct surgical excision of the tattoo.

That can certainly be done while you’re having surgery or it could be done as an office-based procedure at another time. If you’re referring to laser-based tattoo removal then I suggest you get better acquainted with how that works since it typically takes multiple treatments and a substantial amount of time in between treatments to see progress.

There certainly are a lot of plastic surgeons in Southern California. Some are very talented and some are not so much.

There is very little unbiased information to help patients steer clear path when it comes to this type of work.

There is an abundance of self-promotion and very little unbiased information.

In the end they really are two single things patient should look for when it comes to finding the most talented and experienced provider for cosmetic surgical procedures.

If you find these two variables put together you’ll have the golden ticket.

During in person consultations ask providers to show all of their before and after pictures for the procedures you’re interested in. In your case tummy tuck and I’m assuming a breast lift.  and experienced plastic surgeon should have no difficulty showing you 50 or more sets of before and after pictures for each of these procedures.  highly experienced providers will have hundreds and some may have thousands of pictures.  ask the provider not only to show you all of their pictures but also show pictures of results that didn’t turn out as good as they had hoped for and see if they’re willing to talk to you about why the results look different.  if providers come up with excuses and only show you a handful of before and after pictures then either they’re not willing to show you lesser work or they simply don’t have the experience.

Secondly read all the various physician review websites and illuminate all the providers with any significant number of justified negative reviews.  A high number of positive reviews typically just means someone is driving a strong marketing campaign. It is specifically the absence of justified negative reviews that points to the direction of the true great. A provider who can show you a couple of hundred take me to get results there before and after album and has fewer to non-justified negative reviews on websites like real self, yelp etc. etc. is the person you are looking for.

The providers that have the most number of reviews are simply asking the most number of people to write reviews for them.  if you’re close to orange county consider looking up Mark Kobayashi MD in Irvine. He’s the single-handed most talented surgeon I’ve met.

I’ve also written a list of general recommendations for those seeking cosmetic surgery. It covers some of what I mentioned but I will simply copy and paste in case you find it useful.

1. I recommend patients avoid traveling long distances for elective surgical procedures. There are of course instances where there is a lack of local talent and traveling to some degree is inevitable. If traveling for the procedure patients should be ready to travel to have the consultation, post operative appointments and follow up should there be issues or complications.
Patients sometimes do not appreciate the importance of in person consultations, that complications do happen or the number of people who have issues with their results or need revisions.

2. Schedule multiple consultations with different providers in your area who seem to have a good reputation for the procedure you’re interested in. Starting with at least five consultations seems like a reasonable number to me.

3. Whenever possible schedule in person consultations.  
4. During in person consultations ask each plastic surgeon to show all of their before and after pictures for the procedure you’re interested in.

The goal is not to see the best results of their career but to get an idea of what average results look like and get some type of confirmation of how many of these procedures that provider has performed.

Ask to see results that were not as good as the doctor would’ve hoped for and talk about the differences in outcomes.

Honest and experienced providers should have no problems presenting this type of information.

A highly experienced plastic surgeon should have hundreds of before and after pictures for the procedure you’re interested in. At a minimum at least 20+.

5. Read all the reviews on various physician review websites paying close attention and avoiding providers with any significant number of justified negative reviews.  Providers with an abundance of reviews often have aggressive marketing campaigns.

The plastic surgeons I respect most all have the single variable of not having justified negative reviews on their online profiles. 
In my opinion justified negative reviews are far more telling than an abundance of positive reviews.

6. Avoid scheduling for surgery or making a deposit on the day of the consultation.  Give yourself some time to think about the decision and make sure you finished all scheduled consultations before committing to having surgery that will permanently and irreversibly change your body.

When in doubt slow down and schedule more consultations.

Choosing the right plastic surgeon is the single most important variable to having a positive experience.

7. Don’t go chasing after technology or names of certain equipment. Instead focus all your efforts on finding the most experienced and talented board-certified plastic surgeon.

Best,

Mats HagstromMD

Is it possible to remove a tattoo on my arm while I'm put under for a mommy makeover? (Photo)

Answers (3)

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