Andrea Conway is checking out the scar that runs under her nose and through her upper lip.
"When you look in the mirror you see it...It sometimes will the focal point where that is all you will see," client Andrea Conway says.
But the next time she looks, the scar won't be as obvious.
She's undergoing cosmetic tattooing, hiding the scar with permanent makeup .
"I'm gonna be able to camouflage that...it is going to blend in," permanent make-up artist Melaney Whitney says.
Permanent make-up artist Melany Whitney first mixes colors to match Andrea's skin tone.
The color is then tattooed along her upper lip to re-define the en-even ridge caused by the scar .
"I'm actually taking the pigment and I'm implanting it into the skin," Whitney says.
Next...concealing the scar between the nose and lip. It takes takes just a few minutes.
"Cool...very nice," Conway says.
Andrea will have to wait to see her "final" look. As the scarred area will be red and swollen for a few days.
"I can't make it go away but I can make it pretty unnoticeable to anybody else walking so people don't focus in on that that imperfection,"
In addition to scars, tattooing can camouflage burns and other problems like hair loss on eyebrows or along the hairline.
Cancer survivor Maria Antoniou lost most of her brows from chemotherapy. Now they've been shaded-in permanently. She's even had her lips done.
"Lovely.. I look younger...I've gotten so many compliments," client Maria Antoniou says.
Cosmetic tattooing can also be used to create a more natural look after breast reconstruction surgery, and insurance does cover it.
If you have andy kind of cosmetic tattooing done you should go to someone who is board certified.
Reputable cosmetic tattoo artists are certified by The Society for Permanent Cosmetic Professionals (SPCP).
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