Tattoo removal helps former inmate start anew

Chanda Kline winces as she undergoes treatment to have her tattoos removed at Tallman Medical Spa. Before laser treatment begins, she tolerates a series of injections to numb the area.

BILLINGS — After spending three years in the Montana Women’s Prison on felony drug possession and forgery charges, Chanda Kline is a self-professed new woman.

She wants to erase the visible signs of her rebelliousness, which include unsightly tattoos on her neck, upper left arm and hand. They are reminders of alcohol-induced mistakes. A “bad-girl” attitude and a lifestyle with which she can no longer identify.

She has a new job at Perkins Restaurant and Bakery and is finalizing details on her first apartment.

“I want the outside to match the inside,” said Kline, 40. “I want to be a better person. Instead of having street credibility, I want people to trust me like I’m learning to trust myself.”

Kline is one of a growing number of people turning to laser treatments to get their ink-etched images removed. Tallman Medical Spa, where Kline is getting her tattoos removed, averages 10 to 15 removal procedures each week. In addition, they do complimentary consultations for those considering getting rid of their tattoos.

Depending on the colors of the tattoo and the depth in the ink, it may take six to 12 of the 20-minute treatments. Cost of removal is $75 per square inch.

As residents look for work in a sputtering economy, they want to have a competitive edge in the job market. For many, that means getting rid of tattoos.

“People are recognizing it wasn’t such a good idea,” said Vicki Ahlgren, laser technician.

Americans spend about $1.6 billion annually to transform their body into multicolored canvases for flowers, lover's names, skulls and serpents. An estimated 45 million Americans have at least one tattoo, according to the Pew Research Center. About 17 percent have some regret for getting one and 11 percent are getting — or have had — a tattoo removed.

“The ones I have are not beautiful in any way, shape or form,” Kline said. “There is not a good experience tied to them.”

To help Kline jump-start her new life, Dr. Philip Tallman is removing Kline’s tattoos for free. The estimated value of the six to 12 treatments she will need is valued between $1,500 and $3,000.

“Dr. Tallman is happy to help anybody who’s turning their life around,” Ahlgren said.

Lasers work by producing short pulses of intense light that pass through the top layers of the skin and are absorbed through the tattoo pigment. This laser energy causes the tattoo pigment to fragment into smaller particles that are then removed by the body’s immune system.

As quickly as some people want them removed, others are just as eager to get one of the permanent designs to reflect passage into adulthood or acceptance into a group such as the military.

For those who might be considering a tattoo, Anna LaFountain, a registered sanitarian with RiverStone Health, the county’s public health agency, cautions that there are risks. Tattoos breach the skin, which means that skin infections and other complications are possible. Some of the risks include: allergic reactions, skin infections and blood-borne diseases such as hepatitis B and hepatitis C.

RiverStone Health licenses 23 tattoo, piercing and permanent makeup facilities in Yellowstone County. Each inspected twice annually.

Before getting a tattoo, LaFountain said, “Make sure you know what’s involved and who’s doing the work.”

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