Dr. Paul Friedman Featured in The New York Times for Life-Changing Work with Sex Trafficking Survivors
Our founder’s decade-long commitment to free branding tattoo removal — helping survivors reclaim their bodies and their futures — has earned national recognition from the country’s most prominent newspaper.
We are proud to share that Dr. Paul M. Friedman, founder and director of the Dermatology & Laser Surgery Center in Houston, was recently quoted in The New York Times in a feature story on the intersection of dermatology and the fight against sex trafficking. The article, published April 23, 2026 in the Times’ Well section, spotlights the growing movement of physicians providing free laser tattoo removal to survivors — and the profound difference that erasing a trafficker’s brand can make in a person’s recovery.
READ THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE
The New York Times — “Tattoo Removal and Sex Trafficking” →
A Mission Born in Houston
Dr. Friedman’s involvement in this cause began close to home. When Houston hosted the Super Bowl in 2017, he was struck to learn that the city ranked among the top in the United States for sex trafficking – driven in large part by its proximity to the border. That knowledge set him on a path toward action.
Through a partnership with Elijah Rising, a Houston-based organization dedicated to supporting and rehabilitating survivors, Dr. Friedman began offering free branding tattoo removal through his practice. What started locally soon grew into something national.
“These tattoos are brands that signify victims are the traffickers’ property and they are for sale. They can often be a constant reminder of the trauma a survivor has endured and therefore act as a barrier in the healing process.”
— Dr. Paul M. Friedman, MD
The New Beginnings Program: A National Initiative
Research presented by Dr. Friedman and colleagues at the 2022 American Scoeity for Laser Medicine & Surgery (ASLMS) annual conference found that an estimated one in two sex trafficking survivors carries a branding tattoo, and that at least 1,000 survivors per year could benefit from removal. A subsequent study of 3,200 survivors rated the impact of branding tattoo removal at 9.2 out of 10 on their overall healing and recovery.
As the former President of ASLMS, Dr. Friedman spearheaded the expansion of New Beginnings, a national philanthropic campaign that connects survivors of sex trafficking with board-certified physicians who volunteer their expertise to perform branding tattoo removal free of charge. The program operates in partnership with the National Trafficking Sheltered Alliance (NTSA) and Atlas Free.
Today, more than 94 physicians across the United States and Canada have volunteered through the New Beginnings program, each trained in trauma-informed care to support survivors through what is often a deeply emotional process.
“Removing the brand is a profound step in allowing survivors to lower barriers to fully, physically, emotionally, and psychologically exit from their trafficking situation, reclaim agency over their bodies, and start a path to a new restorative life.”
— Paul M. Friedman, MD
Why Board-Certified Expertise Matters
Dr. Friedman has consistently emphasized that the clinical quality of care is inseparable from the compassion behind it. Branding tattoos are often applied with non-standard inks, in varying locations, and on patients with diverse skin types, all factors requiring an experienced, board-certified physician to navigate safely. Trauma-informed training is woven throughout the program so that every clinical encounter honors the survivor’s experience and agency.
Recognition That Reflects a Commitment
Being featured in The New York Times is a meaningful moment, not because it changes the work, but because it amplifies a cause that deserves wider awareness. Every day, survivors across the country carry visible marks of exploitation on their skin. The ability to remove those marks, with expert medical care and genuine compassion, is one of the most concrete contributions our field can make to human dignity.
We are grateful for the trust survivors place in Dr. Friedman and in the growing network of New Beginnings physicians. We are proud that work quietly begun in Houston has helped shape a national conversation about what medicine can do in service of the most vulnerable.
About the New Beginnings Program
- Free branding tattoo removal for sex trafficking survivors nationwide
- Operated through the ASLMS in partnership with Atlas Free and NTSA
- Patients must provide documentation from a case manager confirming they are at an appropriate stage of recovery
- Trauma-informed care is central to every treatment experience
- To find a participating physician: aslms.org → New Beginnings Provider Directory