There are some who wear their scars with pride and enjoy sharing the story it tells. Others of us want to put these scars and experiences in the past and don’t want to talk about them or have others see the marks they’ve left behind. Fortunately for the latter, Scar and Stretch Mark Camouflage Tattoo Services are a wonderful option!

So what exactly is a Camouflage Tattoo? Not many people know this is an option and available here in Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, CA. Putting it simply, a camouflage tattoo uses skin colored pigment to hide or blur the appearance of the scar. In addition dark scars (such as purple, brown and dark pink) use other pigments to neutralize the color. Some scars such a as burns, acne and some surgical scars can have texture and may require revising the scar with a serum that enhances collagen production to help even out the texture before implanting pigment.

What kind of scars can be camouflaged? Almost all scars can be improved if not totally hidden from the naked eye. Some examples of great candidates are those with:

• Acne Scarring from puberty or other reasons

• Stretch Marks from Growing or Pregnancy on all areas including hips, thighs, stomach, and breasts

• C Section Scars

• Surgical Scars from Cosmetic Procedures such as Facelifts, Neck lifts, Breast Augmentation, Tummy Tucks etc.

• Surgical Scars from procedures like organ or tissue removal such as the gallbladder or breast, organ transplant, cancer survivors, knee or hip replacements, or plate & screw implants.

• Accident victim scarring whether it be sport, bike or vehicle related (just to name a few)

• Self- harm scars

• Fine Lines and wrinkles can even be improved with micro needling and serums

• Hair transplant scars

• Cleft lip and other facial scarring

In order to be a good candidate the scar must be at least 1 year old AND completely healed. Otherwise you run the risk of making it worse and the camouflage service can ultimately not do much camouflaging at all. Keloids are unable to be worked on as they will only become larger in scale. If it’s possible that you are a candidate for hyperpigmentation (Fitz 4-6 or have experienced hyperpigmentation in the past) you will want to do a patch test before proceeding with the procedure.

You can expect 2-4 appointments, 4-8 weeks apart, with appointment times lasting 30 min-2 hours each depending on the severity and and size of the scar. You can expect the best results 6-10 weeks after the appointment and as long as you are committed to proper after care, the effect is permanent. Proper aftercare does include always keeping sunscreen on the treated area for best results. Come in with your skin it’s natural color (no tan) so your artist can effectively match your skin color. After you are completely healed and you do tan the area, the camouflage will be more visible but still much less visible than the scar or stretch mark was initially.

Often you can also get multiple scars treated at the same time with minimal additional fees. For example: if you come in for a tummy tuck scar but also have a breast augmentation scar, you can add the augmentation scar on for less than if you were to come in for a separate appointment. So be mindful and don’t forget to at least ask :-)

I love that I can make scars “disappear” (or at least drastically improve them) and help give people back the confidence to lift their head higher, smile and wear what they like.