Featured Image Credit: Universal Pictures
Topics: Pete Davidson, Health, Celebrity
Joshua Nair
The doctor behind Pete Davidson's tattoo transformation has explained the work that goes into tattoo removals.
Dr. Roy Geronemus is a New York-based cosmetic dermatologist that has been removing regrettable ink from people's bodies for years.
The seasoned expert has been rated fourth on Newsweek's list of America's Best Cosmetic Dermatologists of 2023, and has worked with many 'high profile' individuals during his time in the medical industry.
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One of the stars he's worked on is Pete Davidson, who openly revealed that he was getting work done to get his ink removed by a 'Dr. G' while on the Late Night with Seth Meyers back in 2021.
While fans were recently taken aback by Davidson's ink-free transformation, the journey to get there has been years-long, as he warned others not to get stupid tattoos.
He has described the whole process as 'horrible' and 'worse' than getting the tattoos themselves, explaining: "Well, they’ve got to burn off a layer of your skin," adding that he then has to avoid sunlight for six to eight weeks - a headache, in all fairness.
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Reposting the clip, Dr. Geronemus' medical practice, the Laser & Skin Surgery Center of New York, wrote: "Did you catch Pete Davidson on Late Night with Seth Meyers last week?
"You might have heard him mention a ‘Dr. G’ when talking about getting his 100+ tattoos removed. Can you guess which Dr. G he was referring to?
"It’s Dr. Geronemus!"
They added that they were 'honoured' the SNL alumni chose them to 'remove his 100+ tattoos'.
Dr. Geronemus, a director at the practice, spoke to LADbible about the work that goes into removing tattoos, why it takes so long, and how much it hurts.
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While the Harvard-graduate didn't want to name names when it came to the big names he worked with due to doctor-patient confidentiality, he opened up on what he's experienced over the years.
While you'd think that certain tattoos are harder to remove than others, the doc revealed something surprising: "The hardest (to remove) are the ones with black ink, which is the most common colour - the hardest ones are actually tattoos in people with very dark pigmentation."
When asked about the procedure being painful, he also revealed: "It should not be painful at all. I know some people talk about how horrible the experience is, but typically, it's not."
Dr. Geronemus said that anything from topical anaesthetic to intravenous sedation can be used, depending on the size of the tattoo.
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It's been almost four years since Davidson name-dropped the tattoo removal specialist, so how much time does it take to remove all that ink?
The health expert revealed that the laser helps to break the ink up, and that different lasers match different ink colours.
However, the time taken 'depends on the colour, the pigmentation of the patient, and how the ink responds to the treatment', which could be why Davidson has publicly set a target of being ink-free by 40, despite only being 31.
"Sometimes it can take multiple sessions in excess of eight," he said about bigger tattoos, saying that his sessions cost 'hundreds of dollars' each.
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In his time removing tattoos, the expert also says that people are lucky nowadays, given the advancements in technology and medicine, which have made tattoo removals easy.
He admitted: "It used to take over a couple of years to adequately remove a tattoo, but the technology has improved dramatically, and techniques have improved as well.
"Other colours have become easier to remove than black by changing and adapting with new technology," clarifying that processes are now 'three times quicker' on average.
While Davidson has admitted that he's had some embarrassing tattoos, including characters smoking blunts, the doctor said that nothing really fazes him anymore.
"The most common thing that people want removed are names of people that are no longer relevant to their lives," he unsurprisingly revealed.
"I've seen everything from bad designs to wording that's misspelled, to pornographic tattoos."