据估计30%的美国人都有一个或多个永久性的文字或图案纹身。
Nearly one in four of them want their tattoos removed, one doctor says.
有医生称，其中近1/4的人士希望去掉他们的纹身。
Doctor Paul Freidman is a spokesman for the American Society for Dermatological Surgery. He also is director of the Dermatology & Laser Surgery Center in Houston and New York. The business provides laser operations to remove tattoos.
保罗·弗莱德曼是美国皮肤外科学会的发言人。他也是休斯敦和纽约皮肤病学和激光外科中心的主任。该公司提供激光去纹身手术。
Friedman told the Associated Press that people of all age groups are seeking to remove their tattoos. He has noted an increase in millennials: people who have entered adulthood since 2000.
弗莱德曼对美联社表示，各年龄层人士都在寻求去掉他们的纹身。他注意到千禧一代的人数有所增加，千禧一代是指2000年以后跨入成年的一代人。
Friedman's group estimates its members performed 85,000 tattoo removal operations in 2017. That is the most recent year for which numbers are available.
弗雷德曼所在的组织估计自2017年以来，其成员已经进行了8.5万起去纹身手术。这是有数据记录的最近的一年。
Dermatologists say the latest equipment can remove most tattoos without permanently damaging the skin. But the process can be long and costly. And health insurance generally does not pay for the removals.
皮肤科医生称，最新设备可以在去除大多数纹身的同时而不对皮肤造成永久损伤。但是这个过程非常漫长而且代价不菲。健康保险通常不会报销这种手术的费用。
There are three ways to remove the permanent ink writing of a tattoo. One method uses lasers -- devices that produce an intense beam of light. The laser sends light of different wavelengths for each color used in the tattoo. The short but powerful light beam damages skin cells causing the ink inside to break apart into small pieces. The body's own immune system then gets rid of the remains of the ink. An anesthetic drug is used to limit pain.
有三种方法可以去除纹身的永久性墨水。一种方法是使用激光器，这是一种可以产生强光束的装置。激光器对纹身中使用的每种颜色发出不同波长的光。这种短而强大的光束会损坏皮肤细胞，导致皮肤细胞里的墨水碎成小块。然后身体自身免疫系统会清除这些墨水残留。麻醉药用于止痛。
Laser removal requires several treatments; the exact number depends on the size of the tattoo. And the cost can be high -- from $450 to $1,000 for each treatment.
激光去除纹身需要进行多次手术。具体次数取决于纹身的大小。手术费用可能会很贵，每次手术费用在450美元到1000美元不等。
Another way to remove a tattoo is called dermabrasion. That means the top layer of skin is removed by rubbing a tool against it. Dr. Eric Bernstein of the Mainline Center for Laser Surgery in the state of Pennsylvania says this method can leave big scars, or marks on the skin.
另一种去除纹身的方法被称为磨皮术。这是指用工具磨去表层皮肤。宾夕法尼亚州激光外科手术中心的艾里克·伯恩斯坦表示，这种方法可能会在皮肤上留下大的伤疤或痕迹。
It also is possible to remove the skin by cutting away the top layers of skin in a medical operation. This can be done for small tattoos or to remove tattoos quickly because a person has had an allergic reaction to the ink.
还可以通过医疗手术切除皮肤表层。这可以用于去掉小的纹身，或是有人对墨水过敏时快速去掉纹身。
Bernstein is president of the American Society of Laser Medicine & Surgery. He advises people seeking to remove tattoos to wait until they are ready to do it in the right way. He warns that low-cost methods can leave permanent scars.
伯恩斯坦是美国激光医学与外科学会的会长。他建议那些想要去掉纹身的人士要等到自己找到合适的方式。他警告说，便宜方法可能会留下永久性疤痕。
Ryan Tucker is a 39-year-old firefighter from Texas. He spent $6,000 on 10 laser treatments to remove the tattooed name of his former wife.
瑞恩·塔克是德克萨斯州一名39岁的消防员。他花了6000美元做了10次激光手术，以去掉刻着他前妻名字的纹身。
"I was young and stupid and thought it was a good way to show affection, which it's not," Tucker said. He added that the treatment was much less painful than the process of getting the tattoo.
塔克表示：“当时年少无知，以为这是一种表达情感的好方法，但是事实并非如此。”他还说，去掉纹身要比纹身过程痛苦得多。
Bernstein also advises people to find a dermatologist who is experienced and certified in laser medical operations.
伯恩斯坦还建议人们要找经验丰富并且获得激光手术认证的皮肤科医生。
He says to make sure that the doctor has the most recent lasers for tattoo removal. And, he says people should ask to see pictures that show the results of treatment on people with a similar skin color.
他说，要确保该医生有最新的去纹身激光器。他还说，人们应该要求看看那些显示对肤色相近人士治疗效果的照片。
He also advises people to follow all instructions in caring for your skin after each treatment.
他还建议人们在每次激光手术后遵照所有皮肤护理的规定。
Finally, do not try to finish the process too quickly. Waiting a few months between treatments can reduce the number needed and can reduce costs.
最后，不要试图太快完成这一过程。在手术之间等上几个月，这可以减少手术次数并且降低成本。
I'm Mario Ritter Jr.
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