The tattoos are used in cancer treatment as reference points on the patient’s body, to help align the equipment and ensure precise targeting of the radiation beams during each session.
They can be required during treatment for breast cancer, prostate cancer, head and neck cancer and lung cancer, with Ministry of Health data showing over 10,000 New Zealanders are diagnosed with one of these cancers every year.[1]
When a patient enters remission, the tattoos, which appear as small black dots, remain as a lasting reminder of treatment.
Industry experts are calling for new national standards for applying radiation tattoos to make the removal process easier. While applied during treatment, they are not removed afterwards.
Mike Anderson, CEO of Think Again Laser Clinic NZ and founder of the new charitable programme, says the removal of tattoos applied during cancer treatment is considered a cosmetic procedure and is not usually publicly funded or covered by health insurance.
He says those who have been through radiation therapy for cancer can often face financial hardship and cannot afford the cost of tattoo removal.
“We know that the cancer treatment journey is both an incredibly stressful and physically exhausting time for thousands of Kiwis each year,” says Anderson.
“For many, these tattoos symbolise an emotionally challenging time in their lives that they would rather put behind them.”
Lasting reminder
Breast cancer survivor Simone Barclay says she has been self-conscious about her tattoos since they were applied in 2017.
“The tattoos looked like I had a giant blackhead or as though I’d spilled some of my lunch on me,” she says. “I don’t know how noticeable it would’ve been to other people, but certainly, to my eye, I felt very self-conscious about it. So it was either hide it the whole time or get it dealt with.”
Barclay, who is currently receiving treatment for the removal of her radiation tattoos, says the size of the tattoos has changed over time and are a ‘constant reminder’ of what she has been through.
“I had a double mastectomy, so there’s no getting away from scars, but in terms of the radiation treatment, they are a constant visual reminder and I will be relieved to have them gone,” she admits.
“I guess it’s a little bit like drawing a line under it really and putting it behind you.”
Laser removal
The new charitable initiative from Think Again Laser Clinic, will remove the tattoos free of charge using a laser to break up the ink into microscopic particles where it can be excreted naturally by the body.
The offering is launching to coincide with Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
“The patients we see most frequently requesting radiation tattoo removal are those with breast cancer, which is consistent with the nation having one of the world’s highest rates of this form of the disease,” says Anderson.
“Most of the patients we have seen are between 30 to 50 years old and may have decades left to live – and they don’t want to see a constant reminder every time they look in the mirror.”
He says patients can undergo laser removal after completing treatment.
“We want to hear from them when they complete their radiation treatment process either because they enter remission or have moved on to a second-line treatment such as one of the recently funded medicines that are now available.”
Anderson says the colour and depth of the tattoo can vary according to the facility where they are applied.
A range of factors can make ink harder to remove and while radiation tattoos are small, often they are deeper having been applied with a single needle or use lighter colours. Anderson says this can increase the number of laser removal treatments needed from five to ten.
“We have seen a range of ink colours and application processes used and while understandably the priority is on ensuring effective treatment, the introduction of national standards for the use of tattoos in cancer treatment would make the removal process significantly easier for patients and professionals,” he points out.
To take up the offer of a free removal treatment, visit the Auckland Think Again Laser Clinic website.