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Hollywood Sunset Clinic has Removed 1,200 Tattoos Since 1998

By Celia Garza, RN
Ravi K. Bhatia, Consultant
Hollywood Sunset Free Clinic

"I'm really glad you're here," said a twenty-year-old female after one of her tattoo removal treatments - at the Hollywood Sunset Free Clinic (HSFC) - to remove a large gang-related tattoo on her back. Not only were the tattoos a reminder of former gang involvement, but rival gang members assumed she was still affiliated with a gang, making her a target for harassment and potential violence. Now that her tattoos have been removed, gang members no longer bother her and it is easier for her to find employment.

This is the third year that the California Youth Authority has funded the Community Laser Tattoo Removal Program at HSFC. The primary reasons participants seek tattoo removal is because they are maturing, wish to leave gangs, and seek employment. The participants are typically under 25 years old and some of them have been gang members involved in drug-use and other illicit activities.

All participants commit to performing a minimum of 30 hours of community service before receiving the laser treatment. The target population is predominantly Latino approximately 75 percent), with a substantial number of Asians.

The community-based Tattoo Removal Program was established in 1998 with the passage of Senate Bill 526, introduced by then State Senator Tom Hayden. Since the inception of the program in October 1998, HSFC has performed 11,326 laser treatments and removed 1,188 tattoos. In other words, enough tattoo ink to cover the skin surface of two grown adults has been removed! An average tattoo is 2 inches by 2 inches.

“It is a multi-disciplinary team of doctors, nurses, physician assistants (PA), health educators and counselors that make up the tattoo removal program at HSFC. They are Drs. Stephen Lee and Steven Popkow; Celia Garza, RN; Lance Huddleston, RN; Terry Saunders, PA; and volunteers, Carlos Echeverria, Juan Flores, Adriana Grandpre, Delia Lopez, Juan Roca, Patty Rodriguez, Brenda Rubalcaba, Hugo Torres, and Rosario Villalobos,” explains HSFC Executive Director Tracy Padua.

The tattoo removal program fills a very basic need for the program participants, especially at-risk youth. Many of the youth, once they get older, start families of their own; and although they have left their gangs, find it difficult to transition into main stream society. The tattoos, gang-related or not, provide barriers to social acceptance and employment.

“So many individuals need this service and, without our program, they could not afford to have these tattoos removed,” explains Celia Garza, RN, medical administrator at HSFC. “And for some of the youth, it’s a lifesaving service as well, because if they go into certain neighborhoods they may be killed.”

According to Brenda Rubalcaba, a medical assistant at HSFC, sometimes when a youth is walking down the street, a member of another gang will approach them and ask, “where are you from?” If the reply is “nowhere” the other gang member(s) may force them to remove their shirt. If they do not have a tattoo, they are left alone. If they do have a gang-related tattoo, they are harassed and oftentimes beaten for being in another gang’s neighborhood.

Other tattoo removal participants just want to find a better job and visible tattoos are a hindrance. For example, a female client wanted her non gang related tattoo removed so she could go to school to become a flight attendant. She is now employed as a flight attendant.

“I have seen some of the damage that gang-related tattoos can cause,” says Lance Huddleston, RN. Huddleston has been volunteering his services for HSFC’s tattoo removal program for the last two years. He also works at LAC/USC County Medical Center, and has seen people come into the hospital after they have been shot because rival gang members spotted their tattoos.

The stories continue:
A woman, who was forced by her ex-husband to get his name tattooed on her chest, came to HSFC for counseling services after being in a long-term abusive relationship. The woman and her counselor determined that her tattoo was a major source of her emotional distress and as a result, she was referred to the tattoo removal program. Since this constant visible reminder has been removed, she has been able to move on with her life.

“One of the youth clients wanted his tattoos removed after leaving his gang,” notes HSFC Clinic Supervisor Juan Flores. “Removing his tattoos helped him regain his confidence and self-esteem, and he is now in college. The program really helped him transition into young adulthood.”

“We are also treating two brothers (formerly incarcerated gang members). They are in the process of removing their tattoos and have been participating in youth diversion and outreach activities to help prevent other youth from entering gangs,” adds HSFC Project Counselor Juan Roca.

“We had a 20 year-old male who found that the tattoo on his neck was a barrier to job promotion,” says Patricia Rodriguez Program Manager for HSFC’s pioneering Cara a Cara Latino Aids/HIV Education program. “Once he had the tattoos removed, he was able to find a better job and it encouraged him to enroll in school.”

Other grant-making organizations find great value in the tattoo removal program.   For example, the S. Mark Taper Forum has donated $25,000, the George Hoag Family Foundation and the Roth Family Foundation each donated $10,000 to help HSFC fund the laser tattoo removal program.

Lastly, these services are desperately needed. Two of HSFC’s CYA tattoo removal participants tried to remove their tattoos themselves – one tried to burn his off and the other tried to scrape his off with a knife. Thanks to the support of CYA and other grantors, these and other youth can have their tattoos removed safely by medical professionals.