I have just formed a partnership with an insurance billing company and so can now bill insurance for the cost the procedure instead of the client. This is great news for clients who have insurance, but prefer an artist trained to do this delicate procedure instead getting it done in a doctor’s office.

There still are some hoops: the work must be pre approved and sometimes there will be snags. Still, for many clients, this is a great way to get the work done and covered by their existing insurance plan.

Please call for more information or to set up a time to talk about areola tattooing.

http://dragonflyink.com/cosmetic-tattooing/breast-cancer-services/

A coil machine is the machine in use, in some form or other, for the last 50-60 years. It uses copper wire wound in two coils that become magnetized when plugged into the power source and the petal is pushed. This then pulls down the metal armature bar, which then breaks the connection between the contact points, which then breaks the current- now the coils are no longer magnetized.  The armature bar pops back up, connecting the contact points, and the cycle starts all over.  This pushes the needle bar in and out of the tube and into the skin.  It is the buzzing noise closely associated with the tattoo experience.

The sci-fi looking  pneumatic machine uses an air compressor to operate, I always liked the way these looked and was curious to try but didn’t want to have to completely change set up as it won’t work with regular power supplies.  Until recently, there now is an adaptable pneumatic machine that can be hooked up to any power.

My current favorite machine type is the rotary. It works by having a little rotary motor that moves in a circular motion attached to a bar that the needle bar attaches to and then is pushed in and out of the tube and skin.  Some rotaries have a bit of a wobble, so it is best to find on that has a nice smooth linear motion.  These machines are lighter, quieter and I think smoother than coils.

I have one made in Germany and am loving the work I can do with it.  It is the closest thing to using a pencil in skin.

I look forward to the next tattoo machine innovation.

About 8 months ago, I started using a product called Rejuvi for lightening and removal.  The way it works is that the product attracts the pigment particles to itself and then both are pushed out of the body.   It works really well, especially for eyebrows and lips. I am seeing a bit more irritation in the removal of body tattoos, but the pigment removal is a faster for most clients.

As with the salt method, a nice scab is formed over the tattoo that should be kept dry.  Different from the salt method, the scab is the yellowish color of the product. I find Rejuvi generally works in one  session for permanent makeup, so this is a great option for people with wonky brows or lip liner that goes outside the lips.

I’ll be posting more pics as I can.

Here are 6 basic tips for making that cover up into a great piece of art:

1. approach the design from a positive- what is the art you want to see, don’t focus on what is already, what you don’t like. The new art should be something you really like for itself, not just because it covers the old.
2. look at lots of designs and collect several different ideas so, together with your artist, you can find the best design idea to cover your tattoo or scar.
3. generally, art with variation in color and art with light and shadow work well for covering as they are better at camouflaging the tattoo or scar underneath. Designs with negative space (skin showing) like tribal, script, celtic, etc, don’t work as well as images with more fill.
4. choose your artist carefully, s/he should do work you like as well as doing good covers.  Look at photos of coverup work, you want covers tattoos not to look like cover tattoos
5. be willing to have some of the tattoo or scar show a bit through the new art if it a design you really like
6. take your time- you’ve got something you don’t want already, make sure your next tattoo stands on its own as great art that you love.

Good luck and take your time to get the best art for a great tattoo, not just a great cover.

And yet, the best time to actually get the new art is in the fall and winter.   The most important period of healing is the first 4-6 weeks after getting tattooed.  For at least 2 weeks the tattoo cannot be soaked and for best color retention keep it from direct sun for as long as possible (4-6 weeks).  In the summer, this just isn’t possible (unless you live in San Francisco).

Winter is a great for tattoo healing.  Most people are keeping warm under long sleeves and trousers, and the frosty winter sun will not tempt the exposure of new tattoo art.

So think of winter as tattoo season and heal your tattoo with plenty of time to show it off in the warm summer.

A skilled plastic surgeon can create a nipple through grafts and implants, but the color that makes the nipple and areola look real is added by tattooing pigment into the skin.  This can be done in a doctor’s office, but more and more it is being done by skilled artists trained to do the procedure.

The client and artist work together to find a color that suits both the clients natural skin tones as well as the client’s desires.  I’ve had many clients request smaller, lighter areolas then they had before the surgery.  This is the time for the client to really decide what she wants for her body.

Once color is decided, the shape and location is next.  If there is a nipple, this will be the guide, if not the artist will, with the client’s input, find the best placement for the areolas. For those clients who have not had a nipple created by a surgeon, a skilled artist can use shading and color washing to give a 3-dimensional looking nipple.

The process generally takes between 1.5-2 hours, with the tattoo time being about an hour.  There are topical anesthetics that can be used to ease discomfort, although, many clients have less sensation in the area.

Aftercare is rather simple and only requires washing once a day, and using cocoa butter or lotion to prevent the work from drying out.

Having been a figurative painter for many years before starting tattooing, I have found that areola repigmentation is exciting and rewarding,  I get to do the kind of painting that I love (only on a the body),  and it is an honor to work with the amazing women to create the the final finishing touch.

For many women who have reconstructive breast surgery, often the areola/nipple is removed.  Some women may chose to have a nipple surgically recreated, some do not.  One option is to have the areola/nipple tattooed on in a process called areola repigmentation.

This means a visit to a skilled, experienced tattoo artist to have the pigment tattooed into the skin to recreate the areola color.  If there is not a physical nipple, a good artist can create a 3 dimensional nipple using artistic color and shading techniques.

For the month of October, Sasha will be offering a limited number of free areola repigmentations to honor and support survivors of breast cancer.  Feel free to pass this post to anyone or organization who may have an interest.

Next week, more details on the process and how to make a realistic areola.

Recently, I learned about a method that extracts the ink.  The product called Rejuvi (there are a couple of kinds out there) is tattooed into the skin and then the oxides  of the pigment are attracted to the Rejuvi and are either wiped out for cosmetic/face tattoos or pulled out more slowly with body tattoos.  It is very effective on faces, with only one session usually needed.

I’m please with the results with both salt in Tattoo Vanish and the extraction of the Rejuvi.  Tattoo lightening/removal is improving all the time and it a great to see better and better options for removal and lightening of unwanted tattoos.

All pigment used for marking a canvas, be it a cotton or human, is carried in a vehicle or medium.  In oil painting pigment is in oil, in tattooing pigment is in distilled water, alcohol, and/or glycerin.

When the oil dries on the canvas the pigment particles are kept in place by the oil and remain essentially unchanged.  As the pigment heals in skin, the body flushes out the medium leaving the particles of color sort of floating in between the cells of the skin.  As the skin changes and sheds, the particles of pigment move around a bit  and can spread and change. This is why lines will get thicker.

As for fading, UV exposure will fade all color: priceless works of art are kept behind UV protective glass and tattoo work needs strong UV block, even in overcast days.  Cosmetic pigments are lighter and less dense then body art colors and as such will be more effected by UV.

It is normal for cosmetic tattooing to need a “refreshing” application 1-3 years after. When compared to regular application of makeup or even maintaining hair coloring, permanent makeup is pretty permanent.

As an artist, of course I want some control over the use of the art I create. However, tattoo art is on someone else’s body and so as an artist I must let it go. It isn’t mine once it walks out the door.  If someone gets another tattoo over or around the work I did, can I sue?  What if an actor stars in an embarrassing movie, can I be compensated for my art being used in such a way?  What if the person dresses in clothes that clash with the tattoo art, can I make them change into something better?

Of course not.

This is why custom is a big deal, the client has paid for art drawn especially for her/his body and preferences and trusts that the art won’t be used on others. If the artist retained all rights, then s/he could ink that custom piece on anyone else and the fact it was “custom drawn” would be worthless.

It just seems to me that while tattooing is an art, because of the unique nature of painting into a living, independent canvas, traditional copyright don’t apply.