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Making a difference in the lives of cancer patients and survivors of sex trafficking: Tattoo removal program

SkinCare Physicians is delighted to be involved in the New Beginnings Tattoo Removal Program. While he was president of the American Society for Lasers in Medicine and Surgery (ASLMS), SkinCare Physicians’ Dr. Jeffrey Dover and his colleagues on the society board initiated the New Beginnings Program, a national philanthropic campaign offering free radiation mark (tattoo) removal for cancer patients and more recently branding tattoo removal for survivors of sex trafficking.

Cancer patients undergoing radiation treatments are usually ‘marked’ with 3-4 small tattoo marks on the skin. The marking ensures that the radiation therapist positions the radiotherapy machine in the exact same location each time. The skin marks are permanent unless removed with a laser after all treatments are performed.

Sex traffickers sometimes tattoo their victims as a way of dehumanizing their victims and branding them as their ‘property’.

Using ultrashort pulsed laser, a series of easily tolerated treatments are performed every 6 to 8 weeks until the radiation marks or branding tattoos are lightened significantly. In many cases they clear completely.

Over 117 board certified ASLMS members, including several dermatologists at SkinCare Physicians, have volunteered to remove free of charge radiation marks for cancer survivors and branding tattoos for sex trafficking’s victims, so that they can have the new beginning they deserve. And hundreds of patients throughout the country have benefited from the program since its inception.

“SkinCare Physicians’ state-of-the-art laser devices enable us to make a difference in the lives of cancer patients and survivors of sex trafficking,” explains Dr. Jeffrey Dover, the founder of the New Beginnings Program. “We are proud to offer this wonderful pro bono service. This is one small way we can use our expertise to provide some comfort to those who have suffered from cancer or whose lives have been upended by sex traffickers.”

Patients who wish to take advantage of this very special offering should contact SkinCare Physicians to schedule a consultation at 617-731-1600 or online. Cancer patients will have to provide an official letter from their oncologist or radiologist approving the removal of any radiation marks. Survivors of sex trafficking must have completed or be actively participating in a rehabilitation program or recovery support group affiliated with the National Trafficking Sheltered Alliance. We will need documentation from their case manager stating they are at a safe and appropriate stage of recovery to undergo tattoo removal.

Learn more about the New Beginnings Tattoo Removal Program.

This blog was originally published on May 12, 2016.