tattoo after knee replacement surgery
Is the scar from your knee replacement surgery the reason for your low self-esteem? But did you know there’sa way to conceal that scarwithout having to undergo another surgery?
A scar camouflage tattoo can bring back your self-confidence and improve your self-esteem. It can conceal scars from surgeries, stretch marks, and other skin imperfections.
Will skin camouflage tatoo cover a scar from surgery? Yes, it can. That being said, there are a few things you need to consider to determine if it’s the right option to cover up the scar.
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You see, you’ll need to make sure your knee replacement scar is not a keloid or raised scar as it might reject the skin-colored tattoo ink pigments.
This invasive knee surgery involves removing damaged bone and cartilage from your thigh bone, shin bone, and knee cap. And then, replacing them with the prosthesis, which are artificial joints made of plastics and metals.
Scarring is part of your skin’s healing process, which often occurs during the forming of new skin. Specifically, scarring is part of the strengthening process of the new tissue being built.
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In some cases, knee scars gradually fade on their own, which often takes 6 months or more. However, some scars remain visible and often require medical intervention to have it removed.
Luckily, you don’t have to undergo another surgery to remove that unsightly scar. You have the option to cover it with a skin color tattoo.
Using skin-colored tattoo ink to cover a knee replacement scar is a procedure that doesn’t involve surgery. Often known as scar camouflage tattooing, a well-trained and experienced tattoo artist inserts medical-grade needles and deposits inks that match clients’ skin tones.
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AtStudio Conceal, we practice the pointillism technique. Besides, we mix and match a variety of skin color tattoo ink pigments with the client’s skin tone.
This technique allows us to efficiently mimic the client’s natural skin color. Such a process is necessary since human skin is not just one solid color.
Scar camouflage tattooing comes by many names such as skin color tattooing, paramedical tattooing, corrective pigment camouflage (CPC), skin camouflage, skin re-pigmentation, etc.
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In this day and age, more and more breast cancer survivors are gettingmastectomy tattoos. It’s a type of cosmetic tattooing where the tattoo artist creates tattoos that mimic a woman’s nipple to cover the mastectomy scar. This scar camouflage treatment empowers women and brings back their confidence after losing their breasts.
It is worth noting that you must not get a tan the day before your scar camouflage treatment. The skin color pigments we use should match your natural skin color.
Otherwise, there will be a mismatch, which will be more noticeable as your tan gradually fades. As a consequence, your treated scar will appear darker than the surrounding skin.
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Camouflage tattooing is a penetrative skin procedure. And so, you will feel a small amount of discomfort. Typically, if we were to scale it from 1 to 10, it would be around 6 or 7.
At Studio Conceal, we do not apply numbing agents to our clients. We don’t want other substances to interfere with the purity and the insertion of the pigments into your scar.
Our skilled and experienced camouflage tattoo artist, will work with various pigments to recreate a blend that will match your skin color and tone. The goal here is to disguise your scar or stretch marks as naturally as possible.
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Treatment sessions will depend on the size of your scar but on average, it may take an about hour to complete. Generally, camouflage tattooing involves using semi-permanent inks.
And thus, you may be required to visit the studio for the necessary “touch-ups” over the years. The frequency of your sessions will depend on your skin, though.
On the other hand, laser treatmentsalso work well on stretch marks. They work by damaging the epidermis, which is the outermost layer of the skin. The best thing about laser treatments is that after getting damaged, the epidermis tends to heal itself.
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However, a laser treatment can’t bring back your natural skin tone as a skin-colored tattoo would. Another advantage of skin-colored tattoos over laser treatment is cost. The latter is often more expensive than scar camouflage tattooing.
No it cannot. Camouflage tattooing has certain prerequisites, such as it must be a flat white scar that is at least two years old. Thus, skin colored tattoo is not an option thi hide an old colored tattoo.
For whatever reason, you want to get rid of an old tattoo. While covering it with a camouflage tattoo seems like an obvious idea, it’s not as straightforward as you think. There are a few factors you have to consider.
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The reason why old or traditional tattoos become permanent is that the inksare deposited deeperinto the skin’s dermis, a stable layer beneath the epidermis. Moreover, traditional tattoo inks, especially black and bright ones, are often derived from several chemicals and certain metals. And so, traditional tattoos often become permanent and will be with you as long as you live.
In comparison, cosmetic tattooing involves depositing micro pigments that don’t go deeper than the regular inks of traditional tattoos. Inks used in camouflage tattooing typically consist of organic and inorganic substances where titanium dioxide is the primary component.
Further, skin color tattoo inks are partially broken down by the body. These inks often fade over time. In other words, they are semi-permanent.
Minor Surgery Scar
Generally, ink pigments used in skin-colored tattoos are translucent, especially the paler ones. So, even if you cover an old tattoo with a camouflage tattoo, the old one will more likely show through. Conclusively, a flesh-colored tattoo may not effectively cover the underlying tattoo.
It can be quite challenging to match skin tones in people with traditional tattoos. And so, an old and faded tattoo covered with skin-colored ink might look like a patchy mess.
The chances of getting a cover-up right are pretty slim. Oftentimes, you’ll only get one or two chances. And after that, your best option is tattoo removal either through laser treatment or surgical incision.
Knee Replacement Surgery. Graphic Content
You can always get a tattoo that matches perfectly with your skin tone. However, that tattoo will look less appealing when your skin tone gradually changes over time.
Moderate sun exposure is one factor that contributes to the changes in a person’s skin tone. In other words, your skin gets tanned or darker down the road.
Consequently, such changes in your natural skin color may lead to discoloration in the treated spots on the skin. Simply put, this is another side effect of covering an old tattoo with a skin-colored tattoo.
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It’s totally okay to get a tattoo after knee surgery as long as your scar is completely healed. Moreover, make sure you are comfortable with the idea and that you have no issues with any medication. For safety reasons, you might want to get the green light from your doctor before heading off to a tattoo studio.I’ve always been intrigued by tattoos- thestories behind them, the incredible individuals that sport them. While working professionally, I served on a task force for our State’s Board of Health. Our charge, to help educate tattoo and piercing studios statewide about clean practice- from minimizing the spread of blood borne pathogens to keeping their studios clean. I loved this community project- we blanketed the state, presenting to group after group of artists how to keep squeaky clean without sacrificing their craft. I got to peek “behind the curtain” literally and figuratively at so many parlors, I had a ball!
A few years later I saw a quote… “Scars are Tattoos with Better Stories.” I’m sure we can debate that- I’ve heard some pretty amazing tattoo stories, but I love the quote- it made me feel kind of rough and tough, I’ve got some pretty cool scars, a huge appreciation for tattoos, and a whole lot of stories to go along… 😉
The photograph I chose to highlight with this post is one of my knees scars- on day ten post-operative and at five years post-operative. The day ten photo I had originally posted on my personal Facebook page, with much enthusiasm and excitement. That was the day I was having my staples removed! Yahoo! My surgeon closed my knees with many internal sutures and external staples. As you can see in that picture, it’s not pretty. I remember my brother telling me sometime later, after viewing that picture, he didn’t ever think I’d ever wear a skirt or shorts again- he was shocked at how big and “bad” the wounds were! I’ll admit, I was very self-conscious in the early days AFTER I was discharged from rehab… (at rehab they were my badge of honor!) I did try to keep them covered up- and I still do to a degree, but this is me! I do wear short dresses, and let my legs hang out from time to time, this is me, and those scars tell my story.
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Back to those staples… They pinched and pulled when I moved- but they held tight. Once they were removed, steri-strips, which look like pieces of sticky tissue, were applied over the wound. They stayed in place until they fell off on
