Is Scar Camouflage An Option For You?

Scar, or Skin Camouflage Micro Pigmentation, is a form of medical or paramedical tattooing. This process is also called Corrective Pigment Camouflage (CPC), Corrective Camouflage, Skin Repigmentation, Scar Camouflage, Skin Camouflage, Camouflage Tattooing, and Skin Color Tattooing. 

• Burn Scars

• Hypo Pigmentations 

• Surgery Scars

• Stretch marks

• Plastic Surgery Scars

• Cleft Palates

• Injury Scars

• Congenital Anomalies

• Vitiligo (in remission)

• Port Wine Birthmarks (only after multiple sessions with laser to cauterize the vessels and only under recommendation and doctor’s order)

It is a very specialized area of permanent makeup skill only a few technicians have been trained in as it requires advanced knowledge, training and experience in permanent cosmetics as well as an artistic eye for color and skin tones. We understand the science behind the physiology of human skin and tissue as well as the pigments.

Both men and women can benefit from scar camouflage procedures. Facial burns; scar discolorations, vitiligo, and other blemishes can often be dramatically diminished through our advanced micropigmentation. Although the success rate of these procedures is very high, often multiple treatments are necessary in order to complete the process. 

At the first visit or consultation session, we will perform a patch test to ensure that we have the best color matches and that it is deem safe for the clients to proceed. Often we refer to the doctor’s order or consult with the office before we proceed. Subsequent visits for pigmentation will be scheduled after that. Although this may seem like a lengthy process this can’t be rushed as it takes time to make sure the color develops well. Scar tissue unlike normal skin is not as flexible or smooth. It is often distorted, mangled, raised or sunken and will most certainly react differently from normal, healthy skin.

Please see the following complications for this procedure and when it is NOT advised!

• The scar is still pink or changing color (has to be at least one year old)

• The scar is not smooth or flat enough (If your scar or skin area is bumpy or raised, the process may not be effective)

• The scar has dark edges (Indicates Post Inflammatory Hyper-pigmentation (PIHP) from the initial trauma or surgery. CPC can make it worst. Dark skin tones especially are affected)

• If you have Keloids

• Also not advised for spider veins; freckles; age spots; under eye circles; hyper-pigmentation

Scar Camouflage

What is Scar Camouflage?

Living with scars can be devastating. Whatever the cause, scarring can damage your self-esteem, wreck your confidence and leave you feeling that part of who you are has been taken away. Scar camouflage treatment is a long-term solution to scarring.

For clients from all walks of life, with scars ranging from the minor to the severe, we will do our best to use all of our artistic skill to effectively conceal even seriously disfiguring scars.

We understand what a difference that scar camouflage can make. Bringing confidence back to our clients, who can testify to the dramatic and lasting confidence boost that scar camouflage can deliver. The results can be truly life-changing.

We are driven by a desire to give you a new lease on life, confidence knowing your scars are camouflaged. As if they were no longer there at all, allowing you to get back to living your life.

How it works

Consultation: We will take time to discuss your requirements, assess your scarring and propose a tattooing strategy to meet your needs.  We will advise you of the number of sessions we expect your treatment to take and fully explain the procedure. We will make sure you are completely happy with the proposed treatment before proceeding.

Pigment blending: We will prepare a number of custom-blended pigments specifically for your skin tone.

Tattooing: Before beginning the treatment, we will apply local anesthetic cream to make the procedure as comfortable as possible, helping you relax. We will then use our artistic skill with the tattooing pen to recolor your scar, using pigment blends prepared for you to recreate your natural skin tone.

Healing: We will apply a healing ointment and, if necessary, a light dressing. Healing time varies, but in most cases, after about five days the top layers of skin will have healed. The pigments will continue to settle under the top layers of skin for some time after this.

Throughout the process we fully understanding the sensitive nature our work, treating you with warmth, respect and care, making you feel comfortable and relaxed. 

While scar camouflage is not suitable for every scar, it is ideal for almost all white and silvery colored scars. We treat a wide range of scars, including those related to medical and cosmetic surgery, self harming, alopecia, vitiligo, accidents and burns. Scar camouflage is suitable for all nationalities and skin types.

Whatever the circumstances in which you were scarred or left with skin pigmentation damage, don’t live with the results any longer. Let InkCredible Outcomes help you step into freedom, to live and enjoy your life.

Cleft Palate Reconstruction/Repigmentation

By using a combination of advanced cosmetic lip tattooing techniques, together with our MCA Scar Treatment, and Scar camouflage it is possible to create a highly improved shape and definition to your lips. 

This treatment is suitable for women and men. 

There are two approaches to cleft lip repair.  Firstly, we may recommend a course of MCA scar treatment (also known as skin needling). This will help to significantly improve the appearance and texture of the scar. The dry needling technique relaxes the scar and kick starts the body to produce collagen, elastic and melanin. This alone can be enough to significantly improve the appearance of the lip area.

Once the scar tissue has been treated and fully healed, it is possible to redefine the lip line further. We use pigments to give you a symmetrical lip line, which will improve definition and appearance. This can be done with very natural lip tone pigments. Or for those that would like to add some color to the lip area, this can also be done. 

Cleft lip repair is a little known treatment that has wonderful results. We recommend booking a consultation prior to booking a treatment, so that we can discuss your recommended treatment plan.

Is Paramedical Tattooing Right For You?

Also known as ‘medical tattooing’ and ‘medical micropigmentation’. Skin camouflage helps improve the appearance of a person with skin disease such as vitiligo or post inflammatory hypopigmentation from skin trauma. Scar camouflage helps reduce the appearance of scars from accidents, burns, surgeries, or the repair of congenital disorders such as cleft palate. Hair simulation helps restore the appearance of missing hair lost to disease (cancer or alopecia), trauma or natural thinning within an eyebrow, mustache or scalp. That technique can also be used to simulate hair stubble. Reconstructive camouflage helps post-mastectomy patients by creating a nipple and areola on the newly reconstructed breast surgeries for augmentation, reduction, and breast lift can also be masked

Our expertise also extends into the paramedical field of scar revision, scar camouflage hair follicle replication as well as areola restoration, vitiligo, and skin pigmentation disorder camouflage and much more. We use the latest state of the art equipment and a higher grade pigments for all our procedures.

Skin or scar camouflage is tattooing of the skin with different colors of flesh tone pigments. Its purpose is to disguise a scar or skin area that is missing pigment or color. It is a specialized area of permanent cosmetic that falls under the category of medical and paramedical tattooing. This process is also called corrective pigment camouflage (CPC) Corrective camouflage, skin repigmentation, scar camouflage, scar camouflage tattooing and skin color tattooing.

The specialist performing these procedures must understand the science behind pigments and the physiology of human skin and tissue. These procedures require advanced knowledge, training, skills, and experience in permanent cosmetics as well as an artistic eye for skin tone.

Who is a good candidate for skin color repigmentation?

Even if you have a scar or skin abnormality, you may not be a candidate for skin repigmentation. You might be a candidate if you meet the criteria below

If your scar is healed and no longer pink or changing color:

Your scar should be at least nine to 12 months old with stable color. If it is red of pink, the tissue may still be healing. A reputable experienced medical tattooist will not work prematurely on scar tissue because it may cause further damage to the skin.

If your scar is smooth and relatively flat:

Camouflage tattooing cannot disguise or correct extreme changes in skin texture. If your scar or skin area is bumpy, or raised, the process may not be effective.

If your scar does not have dark edges:

Dark edges or borders around a scar indicate post inflammatory hyper pigmentation (PIHP) from the initial trauma or surgery. It is possible that the camouflage tattooing process may increase the hyperpigmentation and create a wider border (note: The risk of this happening is greater with darker skin color.)

Who is not a good candidate for skin repigmentation?

If you have any of the following you would not be a good candidate for skin color repigmentation: port wine birthmarks, spider veins, freckles, age spots, under eye circles, hyperpigmentation or unusual vitiligo (not in remission). These issues can be improved with non micropigmentation medical treatments such as lasers, or chemical peels. Please consult with a physician regarding the best course of treatment for these conditions.

What you need to know about camouflage/scar revision:

Camouflage tattooing will not completely restore skin to the way it looked before it was injured. The process will not “erase” a scar or skin abnormality so it appears completely gone and the area looks “perfect” again. It improves the color difference that helps disguise the scar and make it less noticeable to other people. So you must have realistic Expectations.

A scar camouflage tattoo will not be in a “perfect “match to the surrounding skin color. This is due to the constant changes in skin tone from blood flow, body temperature, and tanning. The pigment in the tattoo will not darken if it is exposed to sunlight or a tanning booth, the tattoo may appear lighter than the surrounding skin tans. When the tattoo color matches the tanned skin it may appear darker once the surrounding skin fades. Therefore, if you spend time outdoors, you will need to adjust your lifestyle or decide to match your tattoo to “winter” or “summer” skin and live with the changes in between.

Camouflage repigmentation is a process, not a one-time “cure”. It is performed on “unhealthy” skin that has been damaged or altered. It’s response cannot be predicted Scar or vitiligo patch may have areas that absorb pigment, reject it or both. The area will look dark and red immediately after a tattooing session, and then it takes several weeks to show the healed color (or not). This requires time and patience.

Case Study: Self-harm Scar Camouflage

This patient came to us for a consultation looking for somewhere she could get help covering her scars, but also somewhere where she wouldn’t feel like she was being judged. It’s often very hard for self-harm patients to talk about their problem with anyone and many manage to keep their scars hidden from friends and family for decades. This patient underwent a very successful skin graft procedure by a surgeon to cover self-harm scars to the forearms. Surgery was performed two years prior to having cosmetic tattooing. In my experience, medical tattooing can generally be done one year after having a skin graft however, depending on the case, it may take up to two years. 

Very tight scar tissue meant that the medical tattooing procedure had to be done very slowly using a fine needle, to implant pigment into the skin with a pointillism method, where you hold the needle directly above the skin to create microdots through the whole scar. This technique also helps to break down and loosen the tight scar tissue due to the penetration. Four different shades of pigment were used on this patient, two for the freckled appearance, to create more depth, and the other two shades were used over the whole area that was being treated, to match the patient’s skin color.

The freckles were done unevenly, in both small and large sizes, to mimic the appearance of true freckles. Pointillism for the freckles could have created too dense a color tone, so we used a shading needle in small, circular movements to create different sized freckles and used it to push out the pigment in some areas, so not to create a freckle that was too rounded. This allowed the freckles to blend in better with the rest of the skin. The patient was delighted with the result which took almost four hours to achieve. There was no follow up on this particular procedure as the patient was due to work abroad soon after, otherwise the patient would have come in for a follow up procedure to check the result, which can last up to five years. Complications are highly unlikely; however, the patient may have poor pigment retention which would mean that they may need to have more sessions. If the healing is delayed or the area required medical attention, I would advise the patient to visit her general practitioner.

Conclusion 

The patients that were included in both these case studies reported a confidence boost and a sense of liberation after receiving these life-changing treatments. It is important for aesthetic practitioners to consider the possibilities of medical tattooing for their patients and, in circumstances where practitioners may not be able to treat the patient but where medical tattooing may be an option, there should be the opportunity to refer them to professionals