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How Paramedical Tattoo Artists Turn Traumatic Scars Into Healing Art

These tattoo artists heal scars that are more than skin deep.

By Rachel G. DavidPublished 3 years ago 6 min read
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Paramedical tattoo artist Eric Catalano. Courtesy of Michael B. Thomas for KHN

If tattoos are considered by some to be an entirely decorative addition to one's body, the growing application of tattoos in medicine is increasingly undermining this perception.

Paramedical tattooing – using tattoos to blend in rather than stand out – is a relatively new field. Tattoo artists have long offered post-mastectomy tattoos to breast cancer survivors, coloring in the breast cancer survivor's reconstructed areola to give it a more natural look. But in more recent years, tattoo artists have started expanding outward to other medical procedures, as the New York Times reported. Now, instead of opting for risky or expensive cosmetic surgeries, people with life-altering scars are increasingly opting for a different approach to conceal their injuries and reinstate a sense of normalcy. Paramedical tattoos can be used to cover up scars, conceal stretch marks and other skin conditions, and even recreate the appearance of missing body parts, like fingernails and toenails.

With the growing demand for paramedical tattoos, we are seeing a new enterprise emerge, and a new wave of entrepreneurs along with it. Take Feleshia Sams, a premier name in paramedical tattoo artistry, who created a new line of skin-colored tattoo pigments as well as an entire training program called the Academy of Advanced Cosmetics, as well as a line of skin-colored tattoo pigments.

"I have seen women who have had facial scars since they were children finally be able to cover these scars and women that have survived breast cancer be able to feel complete again—and it's rewarding for us all." - Feleshia Sams

More and more innovative paramedical tattooers like Feleshia Sams are filling in this middle ground and filling the demand for what we might call involuntary cosmetic tattoos; a beautiful tattoo to camouflage a trauma-induced scar, tattoos to disguise the mastectomy area post-operatively. Here are some of the industry's most innovative paramedical tattoo artists involved in the business of restoration and healing. Learn about these increidble individuals who pick up where doctors left off and use their needles and pigments to help patients heal emotionally.

Eric Catalano

The way Eric Catalano tells it, the first fingernail tattoo he did was somewhat of a joke. His subject, Mark Bertram had lost the tips of two fingers in 2018 in a workplace accident. A couple of surgeries later, Bertram decided to make light of his situation – he visited Catalano, a tattoo artist who runs the Eternal Ink Tattoo Studio in Illinois, and asked for fingernail tattoos. When Catalano posted photos of the final product (a hyperrealistic reproduction of fingernails), no one expected the virality that ensued – the photos were viewed millions of times on social media and made Catalano a go-to guy in the paramedical tattoo world.

Now, people in need of reconstructive tattoos come to Eternal Ink from all around the country, and even the world, to benefit from his magic touch and feel whole again. He went on to originate an incredible initiative called 'Wellness Wednesdays,' a day on which Catalano focuses solely on amputees and cancer survivors, offering his life-changing tattoo services for free. There's a GoFundMe where you can support Eric Catalano in this effort, and help him keep giving this incredible gift of making survivors feel whole again.

Learn more about Eric Catalano and follow him on Facebook.

Holly Feneht

Image courtesy of GildedLilyDesign.com

Paramedical tattoo artist Holly Feneht established Gilded Lily Design, the first-ever solely paramedical tattoo shop in her hometown of Santa Clarita, California. She has been tattooing for nearly a decade, and continues to ink conventional tattoos while using her talent to help cancer survivors regain confidence and feel incredible about themselves post-op. While Gilded Lily does offer 3-D nipple tattooing (which yields a final product that mimics the look and texture of a 'normal' nipple and is already a major step up from the flat areola tattoos that were, until recently, women's only option) Gilded Lily's real innovation comes from the exquisitely designed and meticulously executed scar cover-ups, which hide the scar's appearance while allowing the survivor to celebrate her survival and have a permanent mark to be proud of.

Learn more about Holly Feneht and follow her on Instagram @hollyfeneht.

Friday Jones

Image courtesy of FridayJones.net

Reknowned tattoo artist Friday Jones did not set off into the post-operative space for lack of work opportunities; her clientele had until then including Angelina Jolie (a personal friend whom she marked with a Billy Bob Thorton) in addition to other celebrities and even heads of state. But 2009–when she met breast cancer survivor Stacey Watson–spurred a shift in focus, or rather an expansion into new territory. The seashell design she inked onto Watson to cover up Watson's scarring set the trend for post-operative tattoos as a means for emotional healing. Since then Jones has continued to develop this trend into an entire movement, and partnered with many plastic surgeons for post-op areola pigmentation and what's known as 'illustrative scar therapy.' Jones is also a board member of a charity called Personal Ink, which matches cancer survivors with tattoo artists skilled in this emerging paramedical art form.

Learn more about Friday Jones and follow her on Twitter @LadyFriday and on Instagram @friday_jones

Brian Finn

Image courtesy of Brian Finn

While most of us spend our days off work thinking of anything but our day jobs, tattooer-slash-altruist Brian Finn spends his applying his craft to heal a particular demographic of people in need. With 20 years of experience in typical tattooing, the Toledo, Ohio native began devoting his free time to the paramedical kind, creating innovative, restorative tattoos for those recovering from trauma. After all, not all scars are visible to the naked eye. Finn turns scars that result from human trafficking, domestic violence or self-harm into works of art. In reconstructing these survivors' scars into a thing of beauty (free of charge, mind you) Finn provides a form of therapy, whether he discusses the traumatic experience with the client or not. As if Finn's selfless work is not admirable enough, in launching his own initiative he's inspired countless other tattoo artists around the world to take up this paramedical endeavor and turn reminders of pain into marks of resilience.

Learn more about Brian Finn and follow him on Instagram @theechowitch

David Allen

“What was clinical became beautiful again… we turned sterile into sensual. We took back control.”

So remarked Chicago-based tattooer (and painter) David Allen to describe the significance of paramedical body art and its ability to transform the lives of those with physical scarring to match their painful memories. Normal tattooing remains Allen's bread and butter, but post-mastectomy scar coverage is where his heart and passion lie. He approaches his paramedical tattoo clients more like patients; he describes his initial phone consultation and his barrage of hundreds of questions that give him insight into the woman's emotional preparedness to undergo this phase of recovery. In his words, he needs assurance that his work will be "a healthy, organic part of their path through their illness." In addition to his gorgeous, ornamental post-mastectomy tattoo portfolio, Allen is involved in the larger movement; he's involved with P.Ink (like many artists on this list) and has written for media publications and academic journals about the truly medical nature of his efforts.

Learn more about David Allen and follow him on Twitter @allentattoo and on Instagram @davidallen.

Makkala Rose

The extensive press coverage of the large, intricate breast tattoo Makkala Rose inked on breast cancer survivor Alison Habbal in 2016 gives us an appreciation not only of the healing power of post-operative scar coverage but of the complexity of the undertaking itself. From the technical side, Rose clarified for the world that "tattooing a breast is quite different to tattooing a leg or a back or something. It's a bit challenging to design something that would fit and work around it." And on the receiving end, the 13-hour tattoo application that Habbal had to sit for were "blood-curdlingly horrific...Scar tissue is extremely painful to tattoo, as was the rib and collar bone area," she said, adding, "But the pain had nothing on the chemotherapy, so I was fine!" Habbal has no more nipple–frankly, nipple reconstruction felt boring to her–and instead rocks a bold, color-rich, floral design that masks her scar while flaunting her courage, individuality and renewed sexuality. A well-deserved case of internet virality, indeed.

Follow Makkala Rose on Instagram @makkalarosetattoos.

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About the Creator

Rachel G. David

Head of Business Development @ Creatd (Nasdaq: CRTD)

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