SAN DIEGO – At least 1,200 sex trafficking survivors per year in the United States would benefit from pro bono laser removal of branding tattoos during their recovery – although that number is likely far greater, according to the results of an online survey evaluating the need for and impact of tattoo removal in this population.
Sex trafficking involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to compel another person to engage in commercial sex acts, and traffickers often brand their victims with tattoos that convey ownership, including tattoos of names, symbols, and barcodes. According to data from Polaris, a nonprofit organization that works to combat and prevent sex and labor trafficking in the United States, 16,658 sex trafficking victims were identified in the country in 2020, but tens of thousands go unreported.
Dr Emily Guo
"Given the inherently covert nature of this crime, it is difficult to determine exact statistics," Emily L. Guo, MDa cosmetic dermatologic surgery fellow at the Dermatology and Laser Surgery Center in Houston, said during a clinical abstract session at the annual meeting of the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery. "We have been working with sex trafficking survivors local to our practice in Houston providing pro bono tattoo removal, and we've observed how impactful that is in their recovery.
