Clients at Inkfree, MD come from all walks of life.

Some want to get into the Marine Corps and need to have a tattoo removed; some are former gang members who are trying to turn their lives around and find stable employment; and others dealing with skin problems are sick of trying creams that do not work.

“What we do is really life-changing for some people,” said Jonathan Sewell, one of Inkfree’s owners and practice director.

The business was founded in 2012 by Dr. Adaeze Okeke—a family medicine doctor with a degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and more than 15 years of experience in medicine—along with her sister and father. Most clients come to Inkfree for laser tattoo removal, but other services include acne removal, body hair removal and body-sculpting, all of which use laser technology.

Sewell, Okeke’s husband, joined in 2015, and the clinic is also staffed by two certified laser technicians.

Inkfree on June 5 obtained what Sewell said is the latest in laser technology—a picosecond laser called the PicoPlus. The picosecond laser complements the shop’s nanosecond laser but performs tattoo removals faster and with less pain, Sewell said.

“A nanosecond laser fires its energy in a billionth of a second, and a picosecond [laser] fires in a trillionth of a second, so it’s infinitely more powerful,” he said. “We are the only clinic in Texas to have [the PicoPlus].”

Inkfree also offers treatment for melasma, a skin disorder often referred to as “the mask of pregnancy” that causes brown patches to appear on the face. The melasma treatment involves using a laser to break up pigment in the skin and using skin care products afterward to keep the pigmentation at bay, Sewell said.

“By the time customers come to us, a lot of them are in tears,” Sewell said of clients with melasma. “They’ve tried everything and spent all this money trying to deal with it.”

Okeke said she thinks her expertise as a physician is one of the things that sets her business apart from med spas and dermatology offices that offer similar services. The investment Inkfree has made in its facility and laser technology also helps it stand out, and having people on staff who know how to use the lasers is crucial, she said.

“Lasers are incredibly powerful, but in the right hands lasers are very safe,” she said.

11242 FM 1960, Ste. 107, Houston 832-478-5669 www.inkfreemd.com Hours: Mon.-Thu. 10 a.m.-7 p.m.,Fri. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m.-5 p.m., closed Sun.