Is Your Scar Ready for Camouflage? Five Checks
Age, colour, height, stability and skin type. The five things we check before the first dot goes in — and why waiting a few months often gives a better result.
1. Is the Scar Old Enough?
A scar keeps remodelling for 12 to 18 months. Treat it too early and the colour and texture keep changing under the pigment. As a rule we want a scar to be at least 12 months old; hair-transplant scars at least 12 months after the procedure.
2. Has the Colour Settled?
A pink or red scar is still active. Wait until it has faded to its final pale or skin-coloured shade. Pigment placed in a scar that is still red heals unpredictably.
3. Is It Flat Enough?
Flat or slightly raised scars are suitable. Strongly raised, hard or itchy scars (hypertrophic or keloid) need a dermatologist first. Pigmenting a keloid can make it grow.
4. Is the Skin Calm?
No open spots, infection, eczema or active acne around the scar. On the scalp we also want any underlying condition, such as scarring alopecia, to have been stable for at least a year.
5. Do You Know Your Skin Year-Round?
Pigment does not tan. If your skin changes a lot between winter and summer, tell us; we match to the shade you live in most of the year and test first. Protecting the area from the sun keeps the match right for longer.
Not Sure? Bring It to the Intake
You do not need to answer these questions alone. At the free intake we look at the scar in daylight, photograph it, and tell you honestly whether to start now, wait a few months, or see a doctor first.