Skin colored tattoos? Anyone have them? (color, product, girl, head)
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My niece had surgery on her wrist/forearm area to remove some non-malignant tumors a few years ago, which left scars that are slightly indented (rather than raised) & whiter than her natural skin color. They're not large, but she has a few. As a younger kid, she didn't worry about them, but now that she's in her 20's & trying to find work & having bf's, she feels uncomfortable, as she's begun to receive stares, q's about cutting or suicide attempts & even a few judgmental comments from strangers. She doesn't want to wear long sleeves all summer, like she's been doing lately.
I showed her how to use camouflage makeup & it looks better (but, it's painstaking to apply & requires her to use her non-dominant hand to do so... so it's not a perfect solution), but because the scars are slight indentations, it's still noticeable in bright daylight or when she's up close & has on 3/4-length sleeves. Someone recommended that she get a delicate floral tattoo (almost like a bracelet), but she doesn't want anything permanent & really doesn't care for tattoos.
About 5-yrs ago, I overheard a doctor talking about flesh colored tattoos being used for people with lots of scarring... I think in relation to burns, but I just don't recall. It was in passing that I overheard the conversation, so I don't know details. I've searched for it... but, I'm not finding much.
I will find a tattoo shop & ask one of the artists, but, I'm assuming methods are continually evolving & was wondering if anyone has heard of this, has had it done or knows of something else, which might work for her? Gosh, I dislike seeing her self-conscious, when with others... it's a habit that she continually checks her sleeves to ensure they fall over her wrists & I'd really like to help her find something workable to ease her discomfort. Anyone?
Maybe worth a trip up to Ontario to have it done by her since she seems to be an expert in this field? Personally, I wouldn't go to just any tattoo shop ... they may not have a lot of experience matching skin tones.
Tattoos would help with discoloration, but the indentations will still be there. I looked into getting a scar tattooed over before (not skin colored, but a regular picture) and the tattoo artists said they had to look at and feel the scar to know whether they would be able to work on it. In my case, it was too soon after the surgery to have the skin tattooed, and later on the scar nearly vanished (I gained weight and the indentations filled in, and over time the discoloration evened out, but now that I've lost weight it's very visible again).
In the meantime, what about wearing a wide bracelet or even a watch...I know you said it's her right arm but she could get by with wearing a watch on her right wrist.
What a coincidence. Thank you for posting this, Apex!
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Maybe worth a trip up to Ontario to have it done by her since she seems to be an expert in this field? Personally, I wouldn't go to just any tattoo shop ... they may not have a lot of experience matching skin tones.
Yes & a summer tan could factor in discoloration, too, but she's normally fairly white year round. And, I suppose if she could have less visible scars, she'd opt to not tan in order to keep her skin tone the same.
Tattoos would help with discoloration, but the indentations will still be there.
That's what I thought so I guess the results would be about the same as makeup. The advantage is not needing to reapply it daily, because she has to mix several colors together to get the proper shade & it doesn't always come out right. At times, in frustration, she's taken to just covering her entire arm from wrist to elbow, but then that gives her flawless skin on one are, therefore mismatched arms, so she has to do the other arm, too. Poor dear, she's getting frustrated.
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In the meantime, what about wearing a wide bracelet or even a watch...I know you said it's her right arm but she could get by with wearing a watch on her right wrist.
Good idea & she does this a lot, but since she's had numerous tumors removed (I'm going to guess 8-10), the scars are all small in width (& there are no cross stitch scars, if you know what I mean... they're just straight, thin, scalpel scars), but they're 1-4" in length (varying sized tumors) & run from her wrist, half way up her arm... meaning, she has to wear 6-8 bracelets up her arm, a la Madonna in the 80s. It's not always a practical look, especially for work or going to the pool, etc. Also, to not look so odd, she sometimes feels the need to wear them up both arms... she just gets tired of the look & it's not really in style to wear bangles 1/2 way up 1 or both arms.
It would be great if there were a waterproof makeup she could put on & it lasted 1-wk. I have her using something similar to Dermablend, a makeup for scars, but the color mixing is dicey & it's not the most spreadable product as it dries very quickly.
In the meantime, I'll find a local tattoo parlor & inquire. I don't want to ask her for pics, so I'll try to find something similar online & head over to speak with one of the artists.
Thank you so much HM. Hope you've recovered from your surgery & am glad to hear of your weight loss! Good for you!
It would be great if there were a waterproof makeup she could put on & it lasted 1-wk. I have her using something similar to Dermablend, a makeup for scars, but the color mixing is dicey & it's not the most spreadable product as it dries very quickly.
Thank you so much HM. Hope you've recovered from your surgery & am glad to hear of your weight loss! Good for you!
Revlon colorstay foundation will stay on for a couple of days if you don't wash it off with soap. I know that's not a whole week, but it's not too bad. The kind I like is not the liquid, it's a crème in a short glass jar. It doesn't come off when you sweat. You can blend it after you put it on. I'd tried some Cover Girl 24 hour waterproof foundation before that dried too quickly to apply easily, so I know what you mean about that.
What about having your niece see a dermatologist or a plastic surgeon to see if anything can be done for the scars?
I've also heard that using a derma roller (it's got lots of very fine needles that you roll over your skin and it makes little holes) helps with some scars.
I have cosmetic tattoos to cover up scaring from surgery and to replace my eyebrows that I lost as a result of a medical issue. Many work to replace features that were lost or altered as a result of reconstructive surgery, burns and accidents. Practitioners who do this work receive additional training over and above the training that they receive as tattoo artist.
I do not know where you are located but you can get additional information here:
Not sure if it's what you are asking....but I have white ink tattoos on each wrist--so, they are flesh colored. I love them. Make sure you find a reputable tattoo artist--not all of them know how to work with white ink.
My niece had surgery on her wrist/forearm area to remove some non-malignant tumors a few years ago, which left scars that are slightly indented (rather than raised) & whiter than her natural skin color. They're not large, but she has a few. As a younger kid, she didn't worry about them, but now that she's in her 20's & trying to find work & having bf's, she feels uncomfortable, as she's begun to receive stares, q's about cutting or suicide attempts & even a few judgmental comments from strangers. She doesn't want to wear long sleeves all summer, like she's been doing lately.
I showed her how to use camouflage makeup & it looks better (but, it's painstaking to apply & requires her to use her non-dominant hand to do so... so it's not a perfect solution), but because the scars are slight indentations, it's still noticeable in bright daylight or when she's up close & has on 3/4-length sleeves. Someone recommended that she get a delicate floral tattoo (almost like a bracelet), but she doesn't want anything permanent & really doesn't care for tattoos.
About 5-yrs ago, I overheard a doctor talking about flesh colored tattoos being used for people with lots of scarring... I think in relation to burns, but I just don't recall. It was in passing that I overheard the conversation, so I don't know details. I've searched for it... but, I'm not finding much.
I will find a tattoo shop & ask one of the artists, but, I'm assuming methods are continually evolving & was wondering if anyone has heard of this, has had it done or knows of something else, which might work for her? Gosh, I dislike seeing her self-conscious, when with others... it's a habit that she continually checks her sleeves to ensure they fall over her wrists & I'd really like to help her find something workable to ease her discomfort. Anyone?
Thanks very much!
I do Permanent Makeup. I have not seen the type and severity of your niece's arm scars, but there is no amount of PMU that will change those to the extent she wants them changed. There are other procedures she might try as needling or injections of steroids into the scars to make them less noticeable, but there are no guarantees with them either. IF she was my daughter, I'd pay for some therapy for her to deal with scars BEFORE I would ever even try to cover/hide them. Any guy who cares about an arm scar more than who she is isn't worth dating. NO matter WHAT she has done to them, she will have some type of 'scar' as the skin is broken there. We all heal differently. Maybe....after therapy trial, she might consult a good Plastic Surgeon IF the scars are horrible and altering her life. But PMU...I so wouldn't go that route.
Best of Luck to her!
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so I guess the results would be about the same as makeup. The advantage is not needing to reapply it daily, because she has to mix several colors together to get the proper shade & it doesn't always come out right. At times, in frustration, she's taken to just covering her entire arm from wrist to elbow, but then that gives her flawless skin on one are, therefore mismatched arms, so she has to do the other arm, too. Poor dear, she's getting frustrated.
I have her using something similar to Dermablend, a makeup for scars, but the color mixing is dicey & it's not the most spreadable product as it dries very quickly.
