Beckman Laser Institute medical director honored for federal offender tattoo removal program

Dr. J. Stuart Nelson and the Beckman Laser Institute received honors from the U.S. Probation Service in Orange County and federal district Judge David O. Carter for an innovative tattoo removal program that helps men and women integrate into society after completing federal prison terms. Nelson, professor of surgery and BLI medical director, uses the center’s novel laser technology to erase tattoo images, and he is widely recognized for his contributions to the emerging fields of laser medicine and biomedical optics. Under the federal program, Nelson has worked with some two dozen probationers to remove hand, lower arm and neck tattoos that may hinder their efforts to find employment. Nelson and other BLI members were honored during a March 8 ceremony in the Ronald Reagan Federal Building and United States Courthouse in downtown Santa Ana.