“Scar is not an injury. A scar is healing. After an injury, a scar is what makes you whole.” says a certain Mieville in their inspirational book.
And while that is true, sometimes all you want to do with an injury is put it under a meaningful cover-up, put it on a scar camouflage and forget that it once affected you somehow.
We understand your sentiments and discomfort. As experts on tattooing over scars, Pearl Lemon Tattoos will help you with your newly tatted aesthetic.
Set an appointment today to get started.
Tattooing over a scar is practised by many. It’s usually done to serve as permanent makeup, a cleverly way to cover an injury or scarred skin. Some common injuries that talented tattoo experts hide are as follows:
When skin is removed and stretched, it usually becomes smooth and soggy. However, these injuries left behind when skin or a body part is cut off are usually easy to tattoo, as long as the area isn't too sensitive. Getting a tattoo in these places can cause a lot of pain.
When burn scars are tattooed, they can ache and often look uneven. This can make it hard to tattoo them. You can hide them as much as possible with a good design that uses different lines and colours.
Usually, tattoos have a story behind them, but tattoos above, below, or on top of self-harm scars represent more than just a symbol. It's a visible reminder and sometimes even a recovery tool for people trying to stop harming themselves.
Maybe it's a way to regain control of your body and give your injuries more meaning. Maybe it's just a way to mask a hurtful part of your life, start over, and move on. No matter the reason, it's a way for people who have hurt themselves to commit to getting better and a reminder that they can stop.
Keloid scars usually come from an experience that caused an excruciating wound, leaving off a raised scar tissue with a weird texture. Because these injuries are raised, and a tattoo could make them scar even more, some people choose only to hide only a tiny part of them.
They may also tattoo around these scars and make them blend with the design. This can help make their scars less noticeable and prevent them from worsening.
Tattoos can hide stretch marks and other abdominal scars, like those from a C-section or surgery.
Just remember that your tattoo will change as your belly does. If you want to get pregnant or lose a lot of weight, you might want to put off inking on your stomach until after you give birth or lose a lot of weight.
Surgical scars, especially from a mastectomy, are a great place to cover up with a tattoo. However, like with other scars, the tattoo will only work if the area has healed completely.
When getting tatted to hide surgery scars, you should also think about how your body might change in the future. Do you think your weight will change a lot after your tummy tuck? When your stomach skin stretches because you gain or lose weight or are pregnant, it can change the shape of a tattoo.
People with scars from accidents or other injuries might do best with a tattoo artist who understands and cares about their medical history.
It is always good to first have a consultation with your doctor– a dermatologist or your previous surgeon– to discuss whether there won’t be health issues arising from your plan.
You’ll most probably be advised to wait until the scar gets fully healed to avoid making things more severe. Sometimes, scars include past trauma or irregular micro pigmentation and other things to consider and take more care of if you don’t want to reopen a past wound with a tattoo needle.
You can also ask our tattoo experts here at Pearl Lemon Tattoos before you proceed, as we won’t do the work unless your scars are safe to get inked on.
Finding a good tattoo designer with experience covering blemishes and injuries is the first step in getting tatted to hide a scar.
Tattoos that cover scars have the same risks as other tattoos, like getting an infection or a blowout. A blowout is called a blowout when the ink goes too deep into the skin and blurs the tattoo.
When the studio you go to has a clean workplace, experienced tattoo artists, and new equipment every time they take in a customer, the less likely you will get problems with your new ink.
With Pearl Lemon Tattoos, we ensure a sanitary tattoo shop, an expert tattoo designer, and high-end digital equipment for our clients.
Let our artists cover up the blemish you want to hide; give us a call.
It does take time for a wound to heal enough for a tattoo cover-up to be done. If you want to hide a new scar, you should wait at least a year for it to recover completely. You may have to wait much longer for deeper or bigger scars, like 3 or 5 years. When a keloid scar is completely healed, you are less likely to make it worse by tattooing it.
Once it has had enough time to heal, you should talk to someone who has done this. They should tell you what you can expect from tattoos to cover scars in your situation.
So, how can you ensure you don't regret that new tattoo? While your new tattoo recovers, do these things.
You should do this for another 2–4 weeks. Also, try not to wear clothes that will stick to your tattoo, and stay out of the sun and pool for about two weeks. And shower with cool water. Not only will hot water cause pain and make you uncomfortable, but it can also make the tattoo fade. During the day, wear a physical blocker sunscreen with at least 7% zinc oxide or cover it up (with clothing or a bandage).
Different people can handle pain in different ways. So, it would be a lie to say that a tattoo that covers an injury or a freckle hurts the same for everyone. For example, if you've had tattoos before, you might be able to handle the sensation of pain because you know what to expect. But if a cover-up tattoo over a scar is your first tattoo, you can expect it to be quite painful.
Some say they are more excruciating than regular tattoos on healthy skin. Also, the pain can vary from a little to a lot, depending on where the scar is.
Others also think that more profound and more prominent scars will cause more pain, especially in places where the nerve damage is pretty bad. Scars that are shallow and small aren't as hurtful as the skin is flat, and there isn't as much nerve damage.
Pearl Lemon Tattoos
East Corydon, London
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