Doctor Helps Youths by Removing Tattoos

Tattoos are coveted by gang members, many of whom earn the right to wear the markings by shooting, killing, beating or robbing. But gang members usually want to shed the tattoos when they decide they want to get out of the lifestyle.

Without the tattoos to label them as members of the gang culture, they feel they have a chance at a better life.

On Tuesday, about 15 teenagers from the Optimist Youth Homes, a rehabilitation center in Highland Park for at-risk youths, trekked to the office of a Beverly Hills cosmetic surgeon who donated his time to remove tattoos. One by one, the youths--many of them former gang members--sat in a chair while Dr. Frank Ryan used a laser to remove the markings from their bodies.

The Optimist Youth Homes has been making tattoo removal available to youths in the program for about three years, said Howard Nariman, executive director of the center. Most of those who agree to undergo the laser procedure are worried that tattoos will prevent them from getting jobs, Nariman said.