Is the scar from your knee replacement surgery the reason for your low self-esteem? But did you know there’s a way to conceal that scar without 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.
Here’s everything you need to know about how camouflage tattooing can hide your scar from a knee replacement surgery.
Can a Skin-Colored Tattoo Cover Up a Scar from a Knee Replacement Surgery?
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.
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.
You also want to make sure your scar:
- is completely healed
- does not show any kind of redness
- is paler than the surrounding skin
What Happens in Knee Replacement Surgery?
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Arthroplasty, or Knee Replacement Surgery, is the process of treating a severely damaged knee joint so it can function normally again.
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.
Understanding Your Knee Scar Tissue
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.
Repetitive injuries can lead to knee scar tissue. It’s also caused by knee surgery, such as a knee replacement, for instance.
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.
Covering a Knee Replacement Surgery Scar by Mixing and Matching Skin Tones
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.
At Studio 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.
For this reason, skin color tattooing requires great skill and experience to do well.
Understanding Scar Camouflage Tattoo
Scar camouflage tattooing comes by many names such as skin color tattooing, paramedical tattooing, corrective pigment camouflage (CPC), skin camouflage, skin re-pigmentation, etc.
It is the best non-surgical solution to:
- Unsightly scars
- Stretch-marks
- Vitiligo
- Skin pigmentation disorders and
- Other skin color irregularities.
In this day and age, more and more breast cancer survivors are getting mastectomy 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.
Is there anything I need to know before my scar camouflage treatment starts?
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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.
Will the scar camouflage procedure hurt?
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.
What will happen during my camouflage tattoo treatment?
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.
How long will my corrective pigment camouflage treatment take?
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.
Can you hide stretch marks with a skin-colored tattoo?
Yes, absolutely. It does an excellent job of keeping your scar disguised as your natural skin tone.
On the other hand, laser treatments also 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.
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.
Can a bad old tattoo be covered with a flesh-colored tattoo?
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.
Permanent vs. temporary tattoo inks
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Currently, there are two different types of tattoo inks, permanent and semi-permanent.
The reason why old or traditional tattoos become permanent is that the inks are deposited deeper into 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.
Camouflage tattooing inks are translucent
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.
The chances of getting a decent result are low
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.
Your skin tone will undergo several changes throughout life
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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.
Let Us Help You Bring Back Your Confidence With Skin Colored Tattoo
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.
At Studio Conceal, you get the best treatment you deserve. Schedule your free consultation today!