Welcome to the 3rd part of our blog series: “Why We Get Tattoos”; this series touches on the many reasons behind the want and need of getting tattooed. This week's topic is tattooing over scars. If you have a story to tell or have more information to add to this topic, we'd love to hear from you, please email info@liquidambertattoo.com.

Scars are part of our lives, they can happen for many reasons and sometimes they can remind us of a situation we’ve had to deal with in the past or are a recent change. Though scars are permanent, there are many ways to help diminish their appearance. One of the most rewarding experiences for artists in the tattoo industry, is creating a piece of art over something that in the past may have held a negative meaning.

Tattooing directly on scars is always difficult as the ink reacts differently in every piece of scar tissue, it's also tough to predict how the scar will take the ink until the needle hits the skin, and further, how the scar tissue will heal the tattoo. It’s important to note that tattoos won’t make your scars disappear and the texture of the skin will remain. However, tattooing over this area will hopefully help heal psychologically and allows to look past the difficult things we’ve faced in life; observing our bodies in a new light, as beautiful art.

We’ve had the pleasure to tattoo women who have sometimes felt de-feminized by losing their breast(s) and areola after a mastectomy. Some seek a new areola and others want us to create an image that covers scaring, to help create shape, and show a piece of art where their breast(s) once were. We've also tattooed over many self-harm scars; we feel blessed to have these clients in our shop ready to move on to a new chapter of their life, ready to find beauty in their past.

It’s important that before you come in for your consultation session you understand that your scar must have healed and remain unchanged for at least a year prior to your tattoo appointment. If you are considering getting regimentation, we often suggest that you visit a permanent makeup artist as they carry more inks that resemble skin tone and use different tattooing methods.

We tattoo hundreds of walks of life every year and we’ve almost seen it all. From mastectomy scars, post-surgery scars, c-section scars, stretch marks, scarification, self-harm & laser tattoo removal scars; we’re always happy to make this process feel safe and fun for you. We understand this experience can be full of emotion and we’ll make sure to hold a positive and sensitive space for you.

If you’ve visited our shop before, you know that it’s open-concept; never be afraid to ask for us to bring up the room dividers and pull down the blinds. We are set up to allow for that privacy.

Thanks for reading “Why We Get Tattoos”: a blog series outlining the many reasons behind the want and need of getting tattooed. We invite you to share with us your story. What is it that made you get your tattoo? Did the tattoo change that story or strengthen your intent towards something meaningful?

Email us your thoughts or story to info@liquidambertattoo / subject line “MY STORY”. You might anonymously be featured in an upcoming blog!