00:00The whole process is really just like a vibration.
00:03Once you get over that initial three seconds,
00:06you're like, oh wow, this is nothing.
00:10I have a lot of scars on my wrist.
00:12I started cutting probably at like 11 years old.
00:15It was one of my first outlets.
00:16I've always struggled with depression and stuff like that.
00:19I am Patti.
00:19I'm getting the scar tattoo procedure done today.
00:22The scars, they all represent something.
00:24And I think that turning a past somewhat
00:27into something like beautiful,
00:28it's going to mean so much to me to highlight them.
00:31I'm not trying to hide them
00:32because I still have my rough days.
00:34I'm not going to lie, but this is going to be a constant reminder
00:36that like one, no matter what, it will always be okay.
00:40And that I have my daughter,
00:41like always to be a good inspiration and mom too.
00:44So my daughter is a Leo.
00:45I wanted to get some kind of like lion.
00:48I'm super excited, especially to like tell her the meaning,
00:53but like as a seven year old,
00:54I don't need to go into too much detail with her.
00:56She's going to love it.
00:57I just know that she will.
00:58She's an artist herself in her own way.
01:00So being a tattoo artist is a huge blessing
01:04because we get to make other people feel confident.
01:07It's a form of self-expression.
01:10I'm Kat Tat.
01:11I'm a tattoo artist,
01:12and I'm the owner of Enigma Tattoo here in Beverly Hills.
01:15I've been tattooing for a little over 10 years now.
01:18In my 10 years of tattooing,
01:19I have been requested to do all kinds of scar tissue coverups.
01:24A lot of times people will want keloids and things covered up.
01:27So I have a lot of experience with it.
01:33I'm super easy when it comes to working with tattoo artists,
01:36especially talented ones.
01:37So I'm pretty much like going to trust her.
01:39I'm going to put my arm out and just like go for it.
01:42I mean, I love obviously getting tattoos,
01:44but this is also going to be like a huge part of my story moving forward as well.
01:47People have said like,
01:48don't you care what you're going to look like when you're old?
01:50And I'm like, well, no, like, I'm going to be older one.
01:53And I think it's going to be pretty cool to have tattoos
01:55because I think that, you know, what's in here more so matters the most.
01:58I think that they lighten the world up a little bit, so to speak.
02:01I know you were thinking something like a lion design.
02:04Yeah.
02:04So I thought you could do something like a lion and kind of like a mandala type.
02:09Oh my God.
02:10That's like perfect.
02:11The sizing is actually perfect.
02:13I thought that the lion design and the flower with a ton of line work
02:17was perfect because you could still see her scars through it.
02:22I'm a little nervous because when you go over scars with tattoo guns,
02:25I think it just depends.
02:26It's going to be a little bit more sensitive,
02:28but honestly, this is an area that I can tolerate a lot of pain.
02:55So I'm going to use one of my finest needles, which is a three round tight liner.
03:01And this way I'm able to get every single line in there
03:03and not miss a beat of detail.
03:13The stencil that I put on Patty will stay on as long as I don't wipe it too, too much.
03:18So I'm holding my napkin folded up.
03:21I have ointment on my hand that I can use to help with wiping
03:25so that I'm not scraping her dry skin.
03:27But I also don't want to wipe with too much soap and water
03:30because I want to keep my stencil in place.
03:32So I'm taking very, very small steps,
03:35and I'm wiping each line immediately after I tattoo it
03:38and moving on to the next line.
03:43If I am able to determine that the scar can be covered,
03:47then I pretty much have to just act like it's not there.
03:49It's more so with the design.
03:50So I have to place the design strategically over the scar
03:54so that it hides it or, you know, enhances it or whatever the client wants.
04:00Once you have the design figured out to where it's going to cover the scar,
04:04you treat the skin like regular skin.
04:21It's so weird.
04:21Some spots all you feel is like vibration.
04:24I don't feel no pain.
04:35Once I'm done with the entire outline, I wipe it off again.
04:39I grab my shader, and now it's time to add the shading.
04:53So I'm using just loose strokes just to add those gradients and make this really,
04:58really pop and come to life.
05:03I'm avoiding the middle of the face because this is where she really wants her tattoos to show.
05:08So I'm using contrast to go around the lion's face so that these scars in the middle can still stand
05:13out.
05:38So I'm using this.
05:59Patty's tattoo took probably about two and a half hours.
06:03Once she's finished, I'm going to clean it really, really good,
06:05take her over to the mirror, make sure she loves it and doesn't hate me.
06:09All righty, you're all finished.
06:12Ready to check it out?
06:13Yeah.
06:13All right, take a look.
06:14Oh, girl, that is dope.
06:17That still highlights your scars right in there.
06:20I love it.
06:21You want to take a look in the mirror?
06:22Yeah.
06:24Oh, girl.
06:26At the end, standing in front of the mirror, it made me feel somewhat full.
06:30Not that scars limit you, because they don't.
06:32I don't think that they do at all.
06:33I was just like, oh, my God, like, that's on me, you know?
06:37It makes me think of my daughter because she is a Leo and being able to see me as her
06:42mom
06:42overcoming things over and over.
06:44Working with Patty was amazing.
06:46She walked in the door.
06:47She was this fun, cute, like, ball of energy.
06:50She was so excited to get her tattoo.
06:53More often than not, I'm asked to cover the scar, which is why I thought this was really,
06:58really cool and unique that she didn't want to completely get rid of them.
07:01She wanted to highlight them.
07:02So it was a different type of procedure for me, but I think we executed it great,
07:07and I'm just happy that she was happy with it.
07:09Most times, if the tattoo is, you know, done the way it's supposed to,
07:13it probably won't need a touch-up.
07:14Although bigger tattoos and tattoos with such tiny little lines like that with such immense amount of
07:20detail, I will always recommend a second session just to make sure that nothing fell out,
07:25you know, and that everything looks perfect.
07:27Getting it touched up, I think, you know, I was looking at it and in all tattoos,
07:31because it depends on how the person heals, I may get certain parts touched up,
07:35but I plan on going back to Kat anyway.
07:37Once the tattoo is complete, it should take two to three weeks to heal.
07:41I always tell my clients to take the wrap off within an hour of the procedure.
07:45So let your tattoo breathe for the first day.
07:47The next day, you can use a little bit of light ointment or non-scented lotion.
07:51Make sure that your clothes that you're putting over it are clean, your sheets are clean.
07:55That's the main thing.
07:56Just keep it clean and keep it moisturized and your tattoo will be fine.
07:59It was an emotional experience with my scars and, like, the placement exactly of, like,
08:04where she put the lion and that you can see scars on its face, like, across its nose.
08:09And I hope that it's encouraging to somebody else out there, you know,
08:12has scars that they might be ashamed of.
08:14You don't have to cover them.
08:15You can embrace your scars because I promise you,
08:18one day you will be able to help somebody else with them.
08:21You don't have to cover them.
08:22You don't have to cover them.
08:23You don't have to cover them.
08:23You don't have to cover them.
