Dr Dilip Gahankari says a lack of regulation in the tattoo removal industry is allowing unqualified operators to use high powered lasers on unsuspecting patients
There are many reasons a person may want to remove his/her tattoo. Perhaps it no longer represents who you are (that bottle of Jack Daniels on your ankle was funny at 18, but a little inappropriate at 35). Perhaps you have fallen out of love with the person whose name is emblazoned across your chest. Or perhaps the tattoo was a little messed up to begin with (we’ve all heard the stories of Chinese characters gone wrong, misquoted song lyrics, and the woman who had No Regrets spelled as No Regrats).
Whatever the reason for wanting it removed, thankfully, advances in technology mean the most modern PicoSure laser can remove unwanted tattoos permanently and effectively. Unfortunately, tattoo removal is often carried out by inexperienced and poorly or untrained operators, many times in non-medical practices.
Dr Dilip Gahankari, Gold Coast based Plastic and Cosmetic Surgeon from Advanced Aesthetics believes that this procedure needs regulation or we will see more and more cases of scarring and burning due to the poor technique or cheap equipment.