Most tattoos are vivid expressions of personality, but a special category of tattooing involves disguise.
Medical tattoos, also known as medical micro-pigmentation, can improve or restore the appearance of scars or repair congenital disorders, such as cleft palate.
Laura Reed, an optometric physician who specializes in permanent makeup and medical tattooing in Idaho, offers these examples:
Skin camouflage helps improve the appearance of skin diseases such as vitiligo or post-inflammatory hypo-pigmentation from skin trauma.
Scar camouflage helps reduce the appearance of scars from accidents, burns, surgery or the repair of congenital disorders such as cleft palate. Reconstructive camouflage helps post-mastectomy patients by creating a nipple and areola on the new reconstructed breast.
"The appearance of areola incision scars from breast surgeries for augmentation and reduction or breast lift can also be masked," Reed said.
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Want to know where you can get them in metro Atlanta? Here is a sampling:
AYA Medical Spa
Multiple Atlanta locations.
AYA™ Medical Spa in Atlanta offers permanent makeup services and also uses the tattoo-like technology (performed within Atlanta Plastic Surgery, P.C.'s office) to help people conceal scars and restore a natural look to breasts after cancer surgery with areola pigmentation.
Anthony holds several certifications in Advanced Intradermal Cosmetics and Permanent Makeup and works with biopsy, breast implant and breast reconstruction scars.
5755 North Point Parkway, Suite 40, Alpharetta. 404-936-6931
The Nouveau Clinic offers permanent scar and skin camouflage and has special paramedical pigmentation services available for breast scar camouflage. Owner and clinic director Evie Delaney holds advanced certifications in all facets of cosmetic and medical tattooing.
Plastic Surgery Center of the South
120 Vann St. NE, No. 150, Marietta. 770-421-1242.
The center uses permanent makeup techniques for long-term camouflage of various skin imperfections such as scars, stretch marks camouflage, vitiligo, areola re-pigmentation after breast reconstruction, and cleft lip redefinition.
