Can You Tattoo Over Scars? Joy in Scar Tattoo Camouflage

As a tattoo artist with 12 years old experience,most people often have a question about tattoos to cover scars.Someone scald on his arm would like to tattoo a flower over scars,someone would like tattoo a lion on his hurt back.

Can you tattoo over scars?I will according to the scar tattoo risk,and real scar tattoo to tell you.

Most people have a misunderstanding,scar tattoo just cover up your scars by tattoo,actually tattoo scarring is a kind of art,by tattooing art make you rebirth,let you return to the normal social life.

Actually,your scar skin quality,recovery status and scar position depend on can you tattoo over scars.

Before scar tattooing over skin,i often ask for our clients,the scar skin just like a special canvas,normal skin is flat canvas,but the scar skin like wrinkled cloth,so scar tattoo artists should observe the canvas material and decide how to do the scar tattoos.

Normal skin tattoo is inject the pigment to leather layer,and scar tattoo design the patterns by scar depressions, bulges, colors, design to design.For example,sinked scars cover with shadow to make it smooth,red scar can neutral with dark pigment.Finally the scar is fusion with tattoo rather than cover up.

There is a client with 2 cm hollow scar on her knee would like to tattoo a flower.I am not agree and tattoo a flower shadow on the scar,and surrounding the scar with light-colored petals.Therefore,you can not see the scar because it like a natural flower.If you cover it with deep pigment directly,it will make the scar more obvious.Just like paint the deep color in the wrinkled paper,it will make the effect more unnatural.

Visual ugliness:This is the direct purpose,like tattoo a caesarean section scars to vine,tattoo the scar to fire,making the flawed scar to design-feeling tattoo.

Spiritual healing: Most of people dare not wear shorts and short sleeves because of the scar.Due to the scar tattoo,they can accept their scar.Someone tattoo a cute deer in the scar,he can wear short sleeve outside and feel confidence.

Not all scar can tattoo,i had saw someone tattoo on wound healed just now,finally it lead to the would pus flow.Please decide to whether tattoo on your scar base on your wound.

The scar surface is flat,and more than 1 year,it is not pain when you press it,like acne scars, minor surgical scars, and abrasions after falling.

This kind scar tattoo suit for patterns with shadow,such as flowers, vines,sea of clouds, geometric lines,it can make the depression looks flat.

Do not looking forward to become flat completely if your scar is more than 2mm,scar tattoo just only weakening not eliminate.

There is a man would like to tattoo deep sag on the nose base,but finally he is disappointment because it have a little sink,so you need to communicate withe your scar tattoo artist in advance.

Over one year scar is flat on the surface,scar color is deeper than surrounding skin,without any Itching, redness and swelling,like pigment scar after scald or long-term friction pigment scar.

It is suit for shallower patterns than scar,or the patterns with colorful transition,such as forest, starry sky, colorful totem to neutral deep color scar.

If you have a brown scald scar over three years on your leg,you can use a forest deer to cover it.

The scar surface is slightly raised (no more than 1 mm), the color like the surrounding skin, and the press is not painful or itchy, such as minor surgical suture scars.

Suitable patterns: Smooth lines and small areas patterns like small letters, small symbols, and simple lines to avoid complex patterns.

Attention: Do not use colorful pigment like red and orange,this large particles pigment is easy to irritate scars and lead to worsening hyperplasia.

Those scars are immature: easy Infection, hyperplasia

The scar surface has been formed for less than 1 year, and the surface is red, swollen, itchy, or it is still peeling or scabing, such as scars have just been done with the surgery.

Why you can not get a tattoo over a new scar? Beacuse the new scar hasn’t fully healed yet. The needles and ink used during a tattoo will irritate the skin, which can lead to infections. It might be even make the scar get thicker,sometimes it will only make the scar worse.

Types of scars: Keloids (they stick out a lot, go beyond the original wound area, and keep growing), atrophic scars (the skin gets thin, shiny, and as fragile as paper), and inflamed scars (like scars from eczema or ones that ooze pus over and over).

Why you can not: Keloids already happen because the skin overgrows too much, tattoos will irritate them to keep growing, even spread. Atrophic scars have super fragile skin; it is easy to break during a tattoo, which leads to bleeding and infections. It will might cause more serious skin problems like eczema.

Even if your scar is suitable for a tattoo, messing up the steps will still get the bad results.When I do scar tattoos, I stick strictly to these 5 steps: Evaluate–Design–Test–Execute–Care.

What to evaluate: How long the scar has been there, its type (sunken, raised, discolored), its size and location, your skin’s sensitivity.

Why evaluation matters: Most people could not realize the difference between hypertrophic scars and keloids scars,and they do not know if a scar is stable. For example,some scars does not look red, but if you press on them, there’s a slight pain beacuse they’re not stable yet, so you can not get a tattoo.

How to choose a tattoo artist: Do not choose a tattoo artist who takes any design request. Choose a tattoo artisrt who specializes in scar tattoos.

You can check their portfolio, see if they have any scar tattoo examples.

Ask them a question about whether a scar is suitable for a tattoo?

A professional tattoo artist will ask you details, they won’t just say, Yeah, it’s fine and pick a design.

Design principle:Patterns should follow scar shape instead of shoving the scar into a design.For example,a straight surgical scar suit for vines or lines tattoo design.A round indented scar fits flowers or the sun; an irregular burn scar pairs nicely with cloud seas or forests.

Avoid 3 tattoo design mistakes:

• Do not t cover it with large size solid blocks of color: like turning the scar into a black square or red strip. It will just make the scar like a patch.

• Do not pick too complicated designs: like full-back realistic pieces or dense totems. They will put too much strain on the scarred skin and easy to make mistakes.

• Do not force symmetry: Your scar is on your left arm, but you insist on the same design on the right. Sure, it will be symmetrical, but it will look forced. It is better to let the design naturally fit the scar.

• Allergy test: Paint a little colorful pigment on the scar,and cover with plastic wrap 24 hours.Then test the reaction whether it is allergy.If it is allergic,please abandon the scar tattoo.

• Skin tolerance test: Tattoo needle scroll around the scar edge slightly and observe for 2 hours to see if it is bleeding and swelling.If it is bleeding and obvious swelling,it means that you are not suitable to scar tattoo because of your poor tolerance skins.

Normal tattoo pursue the effect on even pigment and smooth lines,scar tattoo is Gentle, non-irritating,the depth of needle is shallower than normal tattoo.Normal tattoo needle depth 1.5-2mm,normal tattoo needle depth 1-1.2mm.Otherwise,scar tattoo is slow in order to avoid  irritate the same skin and slowly to prevent skin damage.

Hollow scars: First,tattoo the normal skin and deal with the scar.Inject pigment with thorn,let the pigment distributed in depressions evenly.

Pigmentation scars: Tattooing with diluted pigment such as black pigment with a little diluent to avoid your scar more obvious.

Slightly hyperplastic scars: Just use single needle(3-5 needles for ordinary tattoos) to reduce the irritation,the line should be thin,don not fill in large areas.

Remember,the scar skin are more sensitive than normal skin,it is easy to infect and fade.You need to keep moisturizing, sun protection, friction-proof.

• After tattoo 1-3 days,you need to pack your scar with sterile gauze and wipe it with normal saline,then put the repair cream like vaseline on it.Do not get the scar wet.
• After tattoo 4-7 days,your skin will peeling,do not tearing because the color will leave and make the scar more terrible.
• After tattoo 1-3 months,do not wear the tight clothes to avoid friction.Protect your scar from the sun because it is easy to get black in the sun.
• After tattoo 3 months,you should check your scar tattoo whether it is fade,if it is fade,your scar tattoo artist will fix it.