PARAMEDICAL TATTOOING

• Healed and no longer pink or changing colour: Your scar should be at least 9 to 12 months old with stable colour. If it is red or pink or still changing colour, the tissue may still be healing. It is not advisable to work prematurely on scar tissue because it may cause further damage to the skin.
• 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 you have any skin surface irregularity, please consult with a Dermatologist or Plastic Surgeon first to see if any type of medical treatments can first improve the skin texture.
• Without 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 hyper-pigmentation and create a wider, darker border. The risk of this happening is usually greater with darker skin tones.

Keloid, scars with raised dark edges, Port Wine birthmarks; spider veins; freckles; age spots; under eye circles; hyper-pigmentation; or unstable vitiligo (not in remission). These can be improved with non-tattoo medical treatments such as lasers, sclerotherapy, or chemical peels. Please consult with a physician regarding the best course of treatment for these conditions.

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 colour differences to help disguise the scar or anomaly and make it less noticeable to other people.

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

Camouflage re-pigmentation is a process, not a one-time "cure". It is performed on “unhealthy” skin that has been damaged or altered. Its response cannot be predicted – a 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 colour (or not). This requires time and patience.

Careful attention to your skin in the weeks after your procedure will determine how effective the treatment looks.

• Always wash your hands before touching your new tattoo.
• Keep your tattoo covered for 8 hours or overnight.
• If you have a transparent/surgical style bandage it can stay on longer (approx. 3-5 days) and can be gently removed during a shower.
• Rinse/wash your freshly unwrapped tattoo with WARM/HOT water to remove any shiny/slimy plasma.
• Allow your skin to fully dry and breathe without any cream or ointment for the first 3 days of the reveal. 
• Stay close to home for 2 weeks – new environments and changes in climate are not conducive to healing and aftercare.
• Let your body heal itself  – it knows what’s best, try not to interfere!

• Do not use Vaseline/Petroleum products or any scented products during the healing stages of your tattoo. There is no miracle cream, a healing aid should not be necessary. 
• Don’t scratch or pick. Days 4-10 will show some flakiness and cellular regrowth, your tattoo may feel itchy when the new skin cells regrow, but please refrain from scratching!
• Do not swim or apply sunscreen for 3-5 weeks.
• Do not touch or handle your tattoo any more than is necessary.
• Avoid sun and tanning beds for 30 days after procedure. Tanning will fade your tattoo even after it has healed.
• No gym or sweating the day (or night!) of your procedure. No heavy sweating for 7-10 days to ensure it is kept clean. Sweat pushes out the pigment.
• Do not wipe! This will disturb the healing process and pull out the pigment.
• Do not pick at scabs as this will pull out the pigment and can cause scarring. Keep them moisturized and try to keep them on as long as possible, they will naturally fall off.