Dr. Jeffery Deal Stresses Health Benefits of New Non-Laser Technology
In his new role as Medical Director with Tatt2Away, Dr. Jeffery L. Deal will review new technologies and advise the Rejuvatek Medical team on product development and implementation, providing expertise on matters benefiting from his clinical knowledge.
Along with extensive experience in health care settings, Dr. Deal has a passion for furthering medical education and technologies. He has published on the subject of microbiology, surgery, tropical diseases, anthropology, and bioethics, and is the inventor of TRU-D SmartUVC, an automated UVC disinfection robot used to eliminate pathogens in health care environments.
“Jeff is a unique blend of clinical, scientific and entrepreneurial talent,” remarks Rejuvatek Medical CEO Jack Savage.
We sat down with Dr. Deal and asked him about his new role with Rejuvatek Medical and his opinion about issues surrounding tattoo removal.
What intrigued you about Tatt2Away to say this is something I want to put my name on as a medical director?
Deal: One was, that I’ve known CEO Jack Savage for about 40 years, and I’ve seen what he’s done before with companies, and he’s a winner. He picks technologies to build that mean something to the medical community, and he’s done several things that really are game changers. As soon as I started looking into Tatt2Away, I really became quite intrigued because this really is a tattoo “removal” not just a laser assisted technology. I only take tasks that I believe in.
What do you see as the advantages of the Tatt2Away process?
Deal: One is that this moves tattoo removal into the tattoo artist’s studio. In the past, most of the procedures have been done by physicians. I think the tattoo artist is better prepared to manage tattoos and tattoo removal than physicians. The most important advantage of the process is that this is a true tattoo “removal” system. Laser tattoo removal is NOT a removal process at all. It’s actually a laser assisted absorption. The laser hits the tattoo ink, it breaks into smaller particles – sometimes into particles we don’t actually know what they are. . . and there are serious concerns of these byproducts of the tattoos that have been hit by a laser. Then the stuff is still actually in your body, which moves it through the lymphatic system, lymph nodes, kidneys, liver and spleen.
With Tatt2Away, you don’t just move (ink/pigment) from the skin to other parts of your system. You actually remove the tattoo, and I can’t emphasize how important that is to me as a physician. I’ve been doing medicine long enough to see where massive health problems have been caused by things like early-on radiation, and now it looks like tattoo ink is causing the same kind of concerns with all sorts of things that have been put into the human body. Besides taking a knife and actually excising the skin, Tatt2Away is the only true tattoo removal process that I’m familiar with.
What kinds of issues could tattoo inks cause if absorbed into the body?
Deal: What we know is there have been animal studies that show the nanoparticles that are either injected by the tattoo itself, or created by the laser process, are moved into the spleen and lymphatic system. And there they cause granuloma formation and immunologic problems. Sometimes, a particle can have safe components in its chemical structure when it was injected, but when you hit it with a laser, and you’ve turned it in to something else – you’ve basically cooked it. You break it into smaller byproducts and it’s those byproducts that really are of concern. We don’t have the kind of data that would cause the FDA to prohibit certain kinds of inks, but we do have the studies that worry us enough that if there is an option of removing it, we should take it.
If laser does not remove ink from the body, how can it be advertised as a removal process?
Deal: Who knows. Some of these are archaic or residual terms because people begin to use them early on. I personally think that’s deceptive, and I think it should be called “laser assisted tattoo absorption.” I think that’s a more accurate way to describe it as opposed to a tattoo removal, which is what Tatt2Away does.
How does Tatt2Away facilitate a more successful healing process?
Deal: The brilliance of the system is the template. We’ve known for a long time that the healing by secondary intent with certain size wounds leaves a better scar than by surgically closing it with sutures. You’ve got to leave enough tissue around to bridge across those wounds. Tatt2Away utilizes a carefully thought out template that forces you to leave enough tissue to bridge across there as it heals.
I think Tatt2Away is onto something big. At a recent medical conference, I was talking to some people about Tatt2Away, and they said the same thing – that it is huge because they all have seen people with these tattoos, and there’s so much innate buyer’s remorse, but there’s a lot more people who will not express that to you because they know they really don’t have great options for getting the ink out. . .well, now there is.
Tatt2Away is a specific patented method with a registered trademark. The patent covers multiple unique elements – one is the template – that contribute to its success. If you visit a location claiming to be a certified Tatt2Away center and they fail to use the template in your procedure, leave (and please let us know).