While tattoo removal has been the staple of Dr. Tattoff's business since 2004, recent public interest in various tattoo removal methods have brought much attention to the chain of tattoo removal clinics. In a recent article by USC's Michelle LaRue, tattoo removal expert Dr. Will Kirby and his brother and head of marketing for Dr. Tattoff, Ian Kirby, discussed trends in both tattooing and tattoo removal, as well as how the process of tattoo removal works. From the article:

The old ways of removing tattoos, according to Beverly Hills’ Dr. Tattoff employee Ian Kirby, do not sound fun.

“[People] would blast your tattoo off like a bazooka and leave a horrible scar. Other options for tattoo removal are dermabrasion which is like scrubbing it off with a wire brush, excision which is cutting it off and sewing the skin back together, you tend to have a scar that way.”

Kirby says laser treatment gets rid of tattoos without damaging the skin. “If you think of a pigment molecule like a marble under your skin and your body doesn’t want that pigment molecule there because it’s a foreign body but it’s a marble its too big for your body to remove. The laser comes in and it works like a hammer to smash that marble into a million different pieces that are really small and now they’re small enough for your body to remove.”

In 2009, Dr. Tattoff did fourteen thousand tattoo removal procedures. The youngest patient was fourteen and the oldest eighty-seven. The average patient was female between eighteen and thirty-four. Whether it was someone fresh out of jail, a USC student, or a customer who literally got his tattoo a few hours earlier, Kirby said they all had one thing in common: they wanted a fresh start.

“It’s more than getting a haircut, it’s more than getting your nails done, it’s more than getting a new apartment, it’s a brand new lease on life, it makes you feel like a new person,” says Kirby’s brother and co-worker, dermatologist Dr. William Kirby. Dr. Kirby sees ex-lovers names, fraternity letters, and the ever-so-trendy barbed wire tattoos every day. Some tattoos, however, are more extreme than others.

“I’m a big Willie Nelson fan, I’ve been to Lukenback, Texas, and I have seen Willie Nelson’s face on a woman’s private parts where her pubic hair is Willie Nelson’s beard,” says Dr. Kirby.

Where the tattoo is on the body and what type and color of ink used all determines how easily a tattoo can be removed. The closer the tattoo is to the heart, the easier it is to remove because there is more blood flow. Dr. Kirby says many of his patients – like the owner of Electric Body Tattoo – will clear up an area of skin in order to have another tattoo put in its place. More business for laser removal places can actually mean more business for tattoo parlors.

Visit www.drtattoff.com for more information on tattoo removal or to book a free consultation for your tattoo removal.

Tattoo removal and (Dr. Will Kirby's contributions to the field of laser tattoo removal specifically) were covered in an article in The Spring 2010 issue of the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology's DermLine magazine. From the article:

Tattoo removal was the topic of two articles recently penned by Will Kirby, D.O.; Alpesh Desai, D.O.; and Tejas Desai, D.O.

The article published in the January issue of the Journal of Clinical Aesthetic Dermatology, focused on the treatment of large bulla formation after tattoo removal with a Q-switched laser.

Three cases of patients who experienced bullous reactions shortly after undergoing Q-switched laser treatment for tattoo removal were presented. All three individuals reported  painful blisters occurring approximately 18 to 24 hours following laser treatment. Interestingly, all three had been treated approximately six to eight weeks earlier with the same  laser device and similar settings without complications. They admitted that they did not follow recommended aftercare instructions, such as elevating, resting, and intermittently applying ice to the area.

In brief, the blisters were cleaned with alcohol and serous fluid was aspirated from each bulla until they were flattened. The areas were coated with petrolatum ointment and  dressed with a bandage that was sufficiently compressed. The areas healed without any signs of scarring.

The authors suggest that the patients experienced extensive cytolysis of epidermal cells secondary to thermal injury from the laser treatment, resulting in the formation of large  bulla. Nonadherence with recommended aftercare instructions might have contributed to their formation. The authors note that bulla formation following treatment with a  Q-switched laser is rare, occurring in less than one in a thousand treatments. They recommend that healthcare practitioners performing laser tattoo removal not only emphasize  aftercare instructions, but consider using a cooling device during the procedure to minimize the risk of adverse events.

In the article entitled Tattoo Removal: Wiping the Slate Clean, which appeared in the January/February issue of Skin & Aging, the dermatologists review current modalities as well as older ones that are becoming obsolete. Because Qswitched laser devices deliver very little damage to the surrounding hemoglobin, melanin, and water, plus are associated with a relatively fast and uncomplicated healing time, the authors suggest that they have become the gold standard of tattoo removal treatment.

Estimating the number of laser treatments required to remove tattoos have become more precise, they say, thanks to the Kirby-Desai Scale, which the authors published in 2009.

Non-laser techniques that are still being used include dermabrasion; salabrasion; liquid nitrogen; phenol solution and trichloracetic acid; thermal cautery, electrocautery, and infrared coagulation; surgical excision; continuous wave lasers; and intense pulsed light devices. However, the authors note that these treatments offer unpredictable results and may result in scarring, undesired pigmentary alterations, pains, and incomplete resolution of the tattoo ink.

Visit www.drtattoff.com for more information on tattoo removal.

Laser tattoo removal expert Dr. Will Kirby was recently named to the Editorial Advisory board of Healthy Aging, a prominent dermatological medical journal. From the announcement:

No, Healthy Aging is not starting a TV program, but if we did, we'd want Dr. Kirby on it. Will Kirby, DO, FAOCD, is the owner of Kirby Dermatology and Dr. Tattoff, both in Beverly Hills. You may know him also as a featured physician on Dr. 90210, The Doctors, Extra and reality shows Big Brother and Love Shack. He can now add Healthy Aging Editorial Advisor to that list of accomplishments.

Dr. Kirby is a board certified dermatologist, clinical preceptor at Western University of Health Sciences, consultant to pharmaceutical and medical device companies and founder of his own line of skin care products, Kirby Dermaceuticals. He's an expert at laser tattoo removal and has published numerous articles on the subject.

As a member of our advisory board, Dr. Kirby will assist us in planning issues, advise us on medical aesthetic trends and occasionally contribute articles.

As an introduction, we sent him a few get-to-know-you questions:

What interests you most about dermatology?

Perhaps what interests me most about dermatology is that it is one of the few medical specialties that is both cerebral and technical. Every day I get to use both my brain and my hands! Because of this unique blend I am continually learning and am always engaged.

With a Beverly Hills practice, you must see a lot of glamorous people. What advice do you have for average people who want to preserve their skin and look their best?

Every day patients come to my office seeking advice on complexion enrichment, and I tell them that looking your best begins with compliance and education. Half of a patient's skin care regimen is what they obtain from me and half is what they do in their own home every day and night.

There have been a lot of technological advances in dermatology recently. What new technologies are you most excited about?

There have been so very many wonderful advancements in the dermatology field in the last few years. I may be biased, but I think we have only seen the tip of the iceberg regarding laser technology, and that field offers a tremendous amount of excitement for many of my fellow dermatologists.

Are there any common misconceptions the public has over what a dermatologist does or can do?

It is truly remarkable that much of the pubic still doesn't know what dermatologists do. Just the other day a patient I have been seeing for tattoo removal asked if I could refer him to someone who could take a look at an odd mole! I feel that it is imperative that dermatologists continually educate their patients about the dermatology profession.

Known worldwide as the leading expert on laser tattoo removal, Dr. Will Kirby returned to Nova Southeastern University this past weekend to speak to a packed house of students. At the lecture, Dr. Kirby shared his experiences as a doctor, entrepreneur, and television personality to a room full of open ears. Read more about what Dr. Kirby shared with NSU students here.