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Thin tangential excision of tattoos
B P O'Donnell1, M J Mulvaney, W D James
1Dermatology Service, Madigan Army Medical Center, Tacoma, Washington, USA.
Background:
There are many techniques used to remove professional tattoos. Each method can be complicated by hypertrophic scarring, pigmentary changes, and/or insufficient pigment removal.
Objective:
To study the results of precise, thin, tangential excisions of professional tattoos. The posttreatment migration of dermal tattoo pigment was also evaluated.
Methods:
Five healthy white males had their professionally placed tattoos excised at a depth of 0.008 in (0.2 mm) using a Brown dermatome. Pre- and posttreatment biopsies were used to measure the depth of the tattoo pigment.
Results:
At 3 months posttreatment, four patients had no significant scarring and three patients retained only scattered flecks of tattoo pigment. Each patients demonstrated migration of the deeper dermal pigment to a more superficial level.
Conclusion:
A superficial, tangential excision of a professional tattoo by a Brown dermatome is a viable, low-risk, inexpensive procedure.