When George was a young Marine, he did some wild and crazy things. One night, he and his buddies drank a few drinks--perhaps more than a few--and got tattoos. George had a spider web inked on his left elbow.

That was a lifetime ago.

Today, he is a military recruiter at USMC Recruiting Substation in La Puente, urging other men to join the Marine Corps. He is married, has a son and lives a quiet life. Nevertheless, people still judge him for his tattoo.

But thanks to Alexander Kaplan, MD, that is going to change.

"Dr. Kaplan sent a letter to many of the recruiting stations in the area offering discounts on tattoo removals," George says. "So I decided to get rid of my spider web."

George has undergone six laser treatments, and he has five more left. George says the tattoo removal has changed his life.

"Now, when I am out with my wife, people don't stereotype me anymore," George says. "When I attend school meetings with my son, other parents don't look at me and wonder where I come from. I am no longer embarrassed."

George isn't the only person whose life has been changed. Dr. Kaplan has helped countless others erase symbols of their past, including ex-gang members and formerly troubled teenagers.

Dr. Kaplan's interest in tattoo removal began when he was performing his emergency medicine residency at UCLA. He volunteered monthly at Homeboy Industries in East Los Angeles, removing tattoos of former gang members. Formed by Father Greg Boyle, Homeboy Industries rehabilitates ex-gang members by offering them services such as education and job placement.

After that experience, Dr. Kaplan realized there was a huge need for tattoo removal, not only among ex-gang members, but in the public at large. So when he finished his residency in July 2004, he decided to open Tattoo MD in Los Angeles. An emergency physician, with a plastic surgery background, Dr. Kaplan also practices at St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood and Corona Regional Medical Center.

"Nearly 20 percent to 30 percent of the public has tattoos," Dr. Kaplan says. "Seventeen percent of those people wished they had those tattoos removed. We treat people from all walks of life, including ex-gang members who now own their own businesses, policemen and even models."

As a form of community service, Dr. Kaplan offers special discounts to members of the military and provides free tattoo removal to two nonprofit organizations Change a Life Foundation and Aviva Family and Children's Services.

Change a Life Foundation is a Lake Forest-based group that provides grants to individuals or families trying to improve the quality of their lives. Aviva Family and Children's Services is a multiservice agency that offers housing and healthcare to abused, at-risk kids and their families in Los Angeles.

"I treated a 15-year-old girl named Jessica who lived at one of Aviva's group homes," Dr. Kaplan says. "She was an ex-gang member, truant in school and was ordered by the court to stay there. She had several gang tattoos, including one on her ankle and one on her chest of her ex-boyfriend's name. She had a dream that she was going to clean up her life and become a veterinarian. But the symbols of her past were still floating around, reminding her of the gang and her abusive ex-boyfriend. She really regretted those mistakes and wanted to get those tattoos removed. So far, she has received three treatments and her tattoos are fading. The process has been very healing for her."

Dr. Kaplan is proud of Tattoo MD's philanthropic work, which got its start through his wife. A licensed clinical social worker and vice president of Tattoo MD, Amy Kaplan was responsible for forming community partnerships with Change a Life Foundation and Aviva Family and Children's Services. Before coming to work with her husband, she served as the director for day treatment at Aviva.

"The young people at Aviva were really trying to change their lives," Amy Kaplan says. "They were going back to school, learning job skills and moving forward. But most of them did not have the resources or the money to get their tattoos removed. So I asked Alex if he would be willing to remove tattoos for free."

Since Tattoo MD opened, business has taken off, Dr. Kaplan says. In fact, Amy Kaplan, who was working part time, had to go full time sooner than they planned.

"We're not just removing tattoos, we are helping people make a fresh start and caring for them simultaneously," Amy Kaplan says. "Many people come in scared, nervous and unsure of how much pain they will endure. We do everything we can to make them feel comfortable."

Indeed, how patients feel means a lot to Dr. Kaplan. "My community work with Tattoo MD stems from the ideals instilled in us in medical school," he says. "We were taught to help patients and build relationships with them. The rewards may not necessarily be financial. I get a lot of personal satisfaction from helping people and seeing their happiness."