Facelift Scar Camouflage Tattoo: What I’ve Learned From Working With These Scars

If you’ve had a facelift and you’re dealing with scars around your ears, behind your ears or along your hairline, you’re definitely not the only person dealing with this.

I work with facelift scars pretty regularly at my studio in St. Petersburg, and the areas I see the most are around the temple and hairline and, especially, behind the ear. Sometimes the area behind the ear can actually be a pretty large scar.

And what I’ve learned from talking to clients is that it’s not always just about having a scar. It’s how much you start thinking about the scar.

You want to put your hair up, but then you’re thinking, Oh my God, is that scar showing? Is my makeup covering it enough? Is my makeup coming off? What happens if I get wet?

Some makeup doesn’t cover these scars very well in the first place. And even if you find something that does, now you’re thinking about whether it’s still covering it.

That can get exhausting.

You Really Don’t Know Exactly How You’re Going to Scar

One thing I’ve learned through my experience and from talking with so many people is that everybody scars differently.

I’m not a surgeon, and I’m not going to pretend to be one. A lot of what I understand about these surgeries has also come from working with clients afterward and seeing so many different scars.

But if the skin is cut, there is going to be some type of scar. Maybe it’s tiny. Maybe it’s hidden really well. Maybe some surgeons have techniques that make it much less noticeable. But everyone’s body heals differently, so it’s difficult to know exactly what that scar is ultimately going to look like.

And sometimes that’s the part people weren’t prepared for.

They love what their facelift did for them, but now they’re dealing with this bright white line around their ear, behind their ear or through their hairline.

That’s where facelift scar camouflage tattooing may be an option.

When Is a Facelift Scar Ready for Camouflage?

The first thing I’m looking at is whether that scar is actually ready.

I generally want a facelift scar to be at least a year old. I don’t want it red and inflamed, and I don’t want to work on a scar that hasn’t finished healing.

I’m also looking at whether it’s extremely raised. If you’re dealing with something more like a keloid or a significantly raised scar, that may need to be addressed by an appropriate medical provider first. Some people may be treated with steroid injections or another medical treatment before camouflage is considered.

A little texture doesn’t automatically bother me.

I work with all kinds of facelift scars. Once the scar is mature and appropriate for tattooing, there’s usually quite a bit we can work with.

Why I Don’t Just Match Your Skin Color and Tattoo It Once

This is probably one of the biggest things people don’t understand about scar camouflage.

A hypopigmented facelift scar can be really white compared with the surrounding skin.

Yes, I’m mixing pigment to match your skin tone. But I’m not trying to pack a bunch of that color into the scar in one appointment and call it finished.

We’re building the color.

I reformulate my pigment as we go through the sessions. We’re staying within the same color family, obviously, but I can change the undertones slightly as I’m layering.

That layering is important to me because real skin isn’t one flat color.

I want that scar to blend so naturally that when everything is healed, you don’t look at it and think, There’s tattoo ink there.

You just see skin.

I Make My Next Decision After I See Your Scar Healed

This is also why I don’t rush facelift scar camouflage.

When you’re tattooing the area, the skin can get pretty red. You only have so much time that you should be working on that tissue, and I don’t want to overpack it.

How that skin heals makes a difference in how the pigment ultimately lays.

So I do a session. Then I let it heal.

Once I see the healed result, that’s when I make my next decision.

Maybe I need to warm the formulation a little. Maybe I need to change an undertone. Maybe we need another layer in one particular area.

Every session gives me information for the next one.

And even in the beginning stages, clients can usually start seeing that harsh white appearance becoming softer and blending more with their skin.

It just gets better each time.

Behind-the-Ear Facelift Scars Are Their Own Thing

Behind the ear is an area I work on a lot.

There’s bone right underneath that area, the skin can feel harder and tighter, and those scars can also be wider than people expect.

I actually change the type of needles I use depending on where I’m working. Behind the ear, I don’t want a needle configuration that’s constantly clicking against that underlying bone. The needle choice also affects how I’m able to place the pigment in that tighter area.

This is one of those little things people probably never think about.

But I do.

Because I’m not just looking at a scar and thinking, Okay, let’s put skin-colored ink over it.

I’m looking at the tissue, the location, the skin and how I want that pigment to lay.

Sometimes the Scar Goes Right Into the Hairline

I’ve had facelift scars that actually extend onto the forehead or create this bright white space right where the hairline begins.

Those are interesting because I can’t necessarily stop my work exactly where the scar stops.

Sometimes I need to extend and feather my work into the surrounding forehead so everything blends together.

The same thing can happen at the hairline. You might have hair, then this super-white scar, and then hair again.

I can work into that transition so visually everything starts becoming one area instead of your eye immediately going to that white break in the hairline.

That’s what camouflage is supposed to do.

I don’t want your eye to know where I worked.

Does Facelift Scar Camouflage Hurt?

This is probably one of the things my clients are most surprised about.

It’s usually much more comfortable than they expected.

I’m super patient about numbing. I take my time.

Unless somebody is basically like, Ah, just go for it, I’m going to get you really numb first.

And if you’re feeling something during the appointment? It’s never a problem. I book plenty of time. We can stop, put more numbing on and wait.

I’m never in a hurry.

I actually don’t like working that way for myself either. I want to do good work, and I don’t want to put rushed energy onto my client.

You’re Going to Have a Life While We’re Doing This

This is another thing that’s really important to me.

Scar camouflage is a process, but you still have a life to live.

If you’re getting your hair done, let’s work around your hair appointment.

If your daughter is getting married next week, this probably isn’t the week we’re tattooing behind your ears.

If you’re traveling, go travel.

Depending on your skin, you could be pretty pink or red for around five days, sometimes closer to a week. I also don’t want you immediately putting makeup over an area we’re trying to heal.

So we plan for these things.

And I’m not going to be like, Oh, it’s your six-week appointment. You have to get in here.

No.

If you need to skip some time between sessions because something is happening in your life, that’s okay. I’m here. I’m not going to charge you more because your life didn’t fit perfectly into some treatment schedule.

I respect that this is a process and that this is something personal to you. I want you to manage it correctly and get it done the right way.

Scar Tissue Isn’t Normal Tattoo Skin

When I’m working on a facelift scar, I’m not creating a traditional tattoo design.

I’m not sitting over one little area forever trying to pack as much ink into it as possible.

We’re building color to recreate the appearance of skin.

That’s a very different goal.

If camouflage pigment is too heavy, the color is off or the pigment placement is inconsistent, the result can look like something was put on the scar rather than the scar simply blending into the surrounding skin.

My goal is the opposite.

I want it soft. I want it layered. I want it to look real.

Facelift Scar Camouflage in St. Petersburg & Tampa Bay

I work with clients from St. Petersburg, Tampa, Clearwater, Sarasota and throughout the Tampa Bay area who are dealing with visible scars following cosmetic surgery.

Some people come to me because their scar is behind their ear. Some have a white hairline or temple scar. Some have several areas that need to be blended together.

Every scar is different, and I don’t think this work should be approached like a cookie-cutter procedure.

If you’re considering facelift scar camouflage tattooing, you’re welcome to send photos or schedule a consultation at Imagine You New® in St. Petersburg. I’ll look at where your scar is in the healing process, what we’re working with and what I realistically think we can do.

And we’re not going to rush it. We’re going to do it correctly.

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