Application and Removal of Tattoos
Surgical Ink® tattoos can be applied with ease in thirty (30) seconds. A damp cloth is all that is needed. Upon application of any Surgical Ink® tattoo, it is recommended that the surgical team member applying the tattoo should annotate the patient’s medical chart, indicating placement, date and time for that one specific design. The annotation will show agreement between the surgical team and the patient, or legally designated responsible party, that the marking was properly placed. Each time a tattoo is placed on the patient’s body this same procedure should be followed. Through multiple placements, the patient and the surgical team will affirm and reaffirm proper marking of the patient’s body. In reality, redundancy becomes a broad safety net for patients, hospitals, surgical teams and regulatory authorities alike.
Once the surgical team has completed the process of affixing the tattoos upon the patient a digital record (still camera or video) of their application can be made unless circumstances exist that may compromise patient privacy. In this way the hospital and surgical team can digitally document their efforts to ensure patient safety while maintaining patient dignity. This practice has the potential to further protect the patient, the surgical team and the facility where the surgery is performed.
The decision of when to remove a tattoo is an individual choice for each hospital, free-standing surgical center or surgeon. This decision may vary from procedure to procedure and/or patient to patient.
Hospitals, free-standing surgical centers and surgeons have each recognized the benefits of allowing the tattoo(s) to remain on the patient’s skin post surgery. In addition to having the tattoo(s) in place should medical necessity require re-entering the original surgical site, the ability to have a patient dramatically demonstrate to family and friends the efforts taken by the entire surgical team to protect them should not be undervalued.
Irrespective the choice, removal of any Surgical Ink® tattoo is quick, easy and painless. To remove, completely saturate the tattoo(s) with rubbing alcohol or baby oil, wait ten (10) seconds, then rub away with a cotton ball. Or the tattoo(s) may be lifted from dry skin using transparent tape.
Please click on the photo below to view the Surgical Ink®
application and removal process.
