Seventeen year-old Samira Omar suffered terrible burns to her head and shoulders in a bullying incident while at school in the United Kingdom. She was afraid that she would never heal, but after returning to Canada, came across a cosmetic tattoo expert named Basma Hameed, who changed her entire outlook on healing.
Hameed suffered horrible burns herself at the age of 3, and since then has learned and mastered the art of covering them up. She uses pigments that matches the skin tones of her patients to help them conceal their scars, and a special topical treatment that masks damage while the skin heals. Hameed has promised to help Basma—free of charge—to put this horrific incident behind her in the coming months.
Tattooing isn’t just for people with serious burns, either. Cancer survivors go to Kim Housley, a certified cosmetic artist in Illinois after breast reconstructive surgery, to lessen the appearance of scars. Housley says that cosmetic tattooing “makes a huge difference to these women. It helps them focus on something other than the scars. I appreciate the opportunity to help them.”
Vinne Myers of Baltimore, MD, is a tattoo artist known all over the country to breast cancer survivors because of his special technique: He stencils in nipples and uses a 3D effect to make them realistic. He also mixes his own pigments to match the colors that his customers desire.
These procedures are typically very expensive, but they often have great results. Hameed does pro bono works regularly, and the results are fantastic both on the surface and below the skin, building people’s confidence in their physical appearance. We didn’t need more evidence to prove that tattoos rock, but there you have it.
