John Hambrick, a Corona native, would wake up ashamed to look in the mirror and interact with others everyday, due to a car accident that forever changed his life.
John Hambrick, a Corona native, would wake up ashamed to look in the mirror and interact with others everyday, due to a car accident that forever changed his life.
At the age of 16, John Hambrick was in a life-threatening car accident when he fell asleep at the wheel and ran into a telephone pole, which resulted in his head hitting the windshield.
He was the only person in his car at the time of the accident in Covina which occurred a mile from his home early in the morning.
“I was driving one second and the next thing you know there was steam all around the car and I didn’t even know what happened,” he said.
The accident left a scar on his forehead that drastically changed his life and made him self-conscious.
Hambrick, is one of many individuals who got a medical tattoo after suffering from a traumatic experience in life, such as burns, diseases, accidents and more, that can drastically alter their outer appearance by leaving scars.
“I was tired of looking in the mirror and seeing it all the time,” he said. “When you talk to people and their eyes would go up and its just like, you know, I just hate to have this scar.”
Medical tattooing is an artwork that blends scars with the flesh to provide individuals with a more natural look and allow individuals to restore their confidence and live like they used to prior to the incident.
There are medical and cosmetic surgeons who make it their mission to give those individuals a more natural look, such as Laura Albano, who performed a scar camouflage medical tattoo procedure to blend Hambrick’s scar and change his life.
Albano has been a medical tattoo artist for 12 years and helps those diagnosed with breast cancer, war veterans, individuals who have been burned and more.
Albano has her own practice in Redondo Beach called, Permanent Makeup and Medical Tattoo Services By Laura Albano.
“Medical tattooing can help a person feel put back together whether it be a breast cancer patient or help a person with a scar on their face feel less self-conscious,” said Albano.
While lying in bed the night before the scar camouflage procedure, Hambrick thought his whole life could change that next day.
“You get tired when you take pictures and see [the scar] in the pictures all the time,” Hambrick said.” “I can use Photoshop, but you don’t have a real everyday life Photoshop,” Hambrick said.
Some of the different medical tattoo techniques are areola pigmentation, scar camouflage and hair follicle replication, needling and permanent makeup.
Majority of medical tattoos artist use an ancient hand crafted tool with four needles attached when doing many medical tattoos, but use a rotary machine when performing an areola pigmentation procedure, according to Albano.
Rotary machines are similar to what is used for traditional body art tattoos, coil machine. The coil machine makes a lot of noise, which is why it is not recommended for medical tattoos, because it does not help put the patient at ease, Andrea Breitling said.
Breitling, is a medical tattoo artist who also uses a rotary machine for areola pigmentation.
She performs medical tattoos at Beverly Hills Cosmetic Surgery Center.
Breitling has been a medical tattoo artist for two years and primarily works with women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer and undergone reconstructive surgery to rebuild their breast (s).
After the breast has been rebuilt, there is no coloration where the areola would be. That is the area where an areola pigmentation procedure would take place.
“So what you have is a breast with a smooth shape to it and it is blank,” Breitling said. “A lot of woman who have had this reconstruction says it bothers them to look in the mirror and have the blank breasts,” she added.
Medical tattoo artists color in the areola to make it look like a three-dimensional representation of a nipple.
Medical tattoo procedures vary and can be a 10-minute procedure or a two to three hours, according to Albano.
Breitling said she would never forget what a patient with burn marks across the bottom of her breasts from when she was a little girl told her.
“She had tears in her eyes and said I’ve gone through additional surgeries to try and fix this and I wish I have just found out about you years ago,” said Breitling.
Prior to performing any medical tattoo procedure a consultation takes place where the medical tattoo artist and patient discuses what needs to be done and how it will get done.
Medical tattoo artists use flesh color pigments based in iron oxide that are not used for traditional body art tattoos where artists use carbon-powder based pigments (vibrant colors), according to Albano.
After receiving a medical tattoo, individuals are advised to apply an antibiotic ointment twice a day for the next five days. Medical tattoos are completely healed at about a week to two weeks after the procedure, Albano added.
Medical tattoos can be applied anywhere except areas with scares darker than the surrounding area.
Prices of medical tattoos vary from $100 to $1500, depending on the medical situation.
Medical tattoos won’t erase the memories of what happened, but they do blend scars, provide a natural look and change lives.