Accidental / Traumatic Tattoos
What is a accidental or traumatic tattoo?
Accidental or traumatic tattoos are caused by the forceful penetration of the skin with particles of foreign matter. The skin heals over the object and results in a traumatic tattoo. This can include pencil lead, dirt, sand, grease, paint, grass, metal, gunpowder, wood, and asphalt (aka: road rash).
Car, motorcycle, and bicycle accident victims commonly have these kind of tattoos. In most cases these can be removed successfully in 1 to 2 treatments. Volatile substances such as gunpowder should not be considered for laser tattoo removal as they can still ignite.
Some examples of accidental or traumatic tattoos
(All photos are of actual Tattoo Removal Laser Clinic® clients)
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These photos are of a male client involved in a motorcycle accident in Mexico. Glass cut into his face, dirt and asphalt left its mark. The wound was not properly cleaned and resulted in a traumatic tattoo. The scar will remain, but is less noticeable without the dark color accenting it. Typically we can also reduce the elevation and texture of the scar. This patient required only one laser treatment.
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A young women who had dirt and grime that went into the skin after a ceiling fan came loose hitting her across the face. The wound healed over the waxy debris that collects on fan blades, resulting in a traumatic tattoo. She came to us after being told several times “excuse me, you have something on your face.” One photo shows the before treatment, and the other shows immediately after only one laser treatment. The skin will be healed with a week or sooner.
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Male triathlete client was involved in a bicycle accident that left road grime or road rash deeply imbedded at the ankle area. It took two laser sessions to eliminate the color of the accidental tattoo. We are treating more female athletes ankles, knees, and elbows. Sliding into home base is a common cause of traumatic tattoos.
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Male client had an accident that left dirt embedded in a scar on his forehead above the right eye. After laser treatment, the darkness has been removed and the scar is much less noticeable.
