Permanently Beautiful

In good news for breast cancer survivors, a new survey of women who underwent paramedical tattooing to create nipple-areolas as part of breast reconstruction surgery after mastectomy found a high rate of long-term patient satisfaction. Published in the Annals of Plastic Surgery, the report demonstrates acceptance by both the medical community and breast cancer patients of nipple-areola tattooing as a viable alternative to additional surgery in breast reconstruction.

Six years following paramedical tattooing, fully 84% of the women surveyed continued to rate their nipple-areola tattoo as satisfactorily pleasing in appearance; and 86% of patients agreed they would again choose a nipple-areola tattoo over other possible breast reconstruction options. Two to six years post surgery, more than half of the women (57%) surveyed reported that their nipple-areola tattoo still looked like a normal areola. Fewer than 3% reported problems with rash or infection post-procedure.

While 60% of tattoos in the study were marginally lighter in coloration than the natural areola, only 10% required any touching up to correct for excessive fading. Expert paramedical tattoo artist Melany Whitney has developed a procedure that minimizes potential fading of nipple-areola tattoos. By implanting a second layer of pigments six weeks after the initial implantation of permanent cosmetics, Melany is able to increase color retention and tattoo longevity. She has received no complaints about premature fading from her nipple-areola patients. In fact, Melany’s clients have been amazed by the realism and illusion of nipple protrusion achieved by Melany’s unique artistry and expert tattooing technique.

Childhood accidents happen. A fall off a bike, a collision with a wildly thrown baseball, a skateboard trick gone wrong — as your mom will tell you, kids are an accident waiting to happen. Some accidents leave scars, little white lines or puckers on knees and chins, badges of a youth well spent. A defining scar on the chin of a handsome movie star may add to his on-screen allure, but many people consider those childhood scars unsightly blemishes that mar their appearance.

You may have to live with the memories of the accident that created a scar, but you no longer have to live with the scar. Permanent cosmetic micropigmentation can permanently camouflage scars and restore your confidence in your appearance. Scars and skin imperfections resulting from childhood (or adult) accidents, injuries, burns and surgery can be camouflaged using paramedical cosmetic tattooing. Artfully applied micropigmentation can break up scar tissue and color it to more perfectly match and blend with your natural skin tone, making the scar disappear from sight.

Nationally renowned permanent makeup artist and paramedical tattoo expert Melany Whitney regularly receives referrals from prominent plastic surgeons and physicians to assist their patients. Melany has perfected scar camouflage micropigmentation and paramedical tattooing techniques that allow patients to reclaim their natural beauty.

A nationally recognized expert in the field of permanent makeup and paramedical tattooing, Melany Whitney’s expertise and knowledge are frequently solicited by national television, print and radio media. A featured guest on Sirius Satellite Radio’s Doctor Radio, Melany has been interviewed about the advantages of permanent makeup by ET, Inside Edition, CNN and NBC’s Today Show, among others. Her renowned artistry and well-deserved reputation as “the Voice of Permanent Makeup” have made Melany a much-quoted source on the subject of permanent cosmetics. Melany’s comments on permanent cosmetics have been featured in national beauty and fashion magazines including Elle and New Beauty.

Melany’s ground-breaking paramedical tattoo work with breast cancer survivors undergoing breast reconstruction surgery led her to develop a unique three-dimensional tattooing technique that creates a realistic-looking nipple and areola. An achievement that has provided tremendous personal satisfaction, Melany’s new reconstructive tattooing technique had given breast cancer survivors renewed self-confidence in their appearance after breast removal and reconstruction.

A pioneer in the field of permanent makeup for men, Melany was recently asked by Flash News to discuss the sensitive issue of malformed male nipples and whether the use of corrective paramedical tattooing could correct the problem. New Moon star Robert Pattinson is just one of many men who suffer from uneven, malformed or too small male nipples. The same permanent makeup techniques Melany developed to assist breast cancer survivors can be applied to the sensitive issue of malformed male nipples.

To find out more about Melany Whitney, founder of the Whitney Center for Permanent Cosmetics, visit our media center.

Facial scars leave their mark not only on the skin but on the soul. There is something about our face that more than any other part of our body determines our comfort with ourselves. Perhaps it’s that our face is the window through which others see us. Most see only the reflection in the glass; few come close enough to peer past the surface into the soul. With no knowledge of our depths, we are judged by our face.

Facial scars can be damaging to our sense of self. Even a small scar from a childhood injury or teenaged acne can undermine our self confidence and make us feel ugly when we gaze in the mirror. I know a young woman who had thyroid cancer surgery. Despite understanding the necessity, she was so devastated and embarrassed by the thin scar that slit across her throat that it destroyed the way she saw herself. It did not matter that others saw only a minor imperfection; she saw a monstrosity. For years she wore turtlenecks and multi-strand chokers until she was finally able to come to terms with her appearance.

Cosmetic tattooing performed by an artistically accomplished paramedical tattoo artist like Melany Whitney can permanently hide facial scars and restore your confidence in your natural beauty. Prominent plastic surgeons nationwide frequently refer their patients to Melany to remove the embarrassment of unsightly scars or natural skin imperfections. There is no need to suffer. Cosmetic tattooing can restore your natural beauty.

Billed as “fantastic plastic,” women showed off their breast implants, nose jobs and face lifts at Miss Plastic Hungary 2009 in Budapest earlier this month. “It’s time for Hungarian women to care more about their appearance,” judge Marton Szipal, a professional photographer, told the Associated Press. As you might expect, big boobs and strippers appeared to dominate the contestant field. But the contest wasn’t just about augmented breasts and cute little nose jobs, plastic surgery to her toes allowed one contestant to walk normally. Espousing the humanitarian view, plastic surgeon Dr. Tamas Rozsos said, “This is about restoring harmony … eliminating asymmetries and giving women the opportunity to have normal features.”

Like other readers, I laughed at the ridiculousness of human vanity; then I got to thinking. We may pooh-pooh the idea, but appearance does count. How we see ourselves and think others see us — inside and out — forms the core of our self-esteem. Even little things like a bad hair day can send our self-esteem plummeting. When we look good, our spirits and confidence soar. We can take on the world!

Everyone has what they consider little ”flaws” in their appearance. These “imperfections” can chip away at self-esteem and become a stumbling block in our quest for a successful and satisfying life. Sometimes plastic surgery is the answer, but it entails significant risks and the outcome doesn’t always meet expectations. In many instances, permanent makeup or paramedical tattooing can camouflage the self-defined “imperfections” that hold us back without the risk. Click here to find out more.

As women we reject the chauvinistic notion that we are defined by our most protruding feature. We are not our breasts. Yet, the undeniable reality is that our breasts do differentiate us as wholly female and are inextricably intertwined with our sense of femininity. When a woman loses a breast to cancer, she grieves. Part of what makes her feel female is gone forever. The emotional struggle to adjust to the loss of a breast from mastectomy is one more hurdle toward recovery.

Breast reconstruction surgery has helped many breast cancer survivors regain confidence in their femininity. But breast reconstruction provides only the shape of the lost breast. For many women, the scarring and lack of areola and nipple definition can be as horrible as the initial loss and a jarring daily reminder of that loss. A breast is more than a mound of tissue. The deeper colored areola and protruding nipple define a woman’s breast. Without that essential definition it is difficult for many women to embrace a reconstructed breast as their own.

Many plastic surgeons do not understand the emotional need to create an aesthetically realistic breast. Through her work with mastectomy patients, paramedical tattoo expert Melany Whitney came to realize the deep emotional need breast cancer survivors had for reconstructed breasts that looked real. Combining her artistic ability and professional expertise, Melany developed a unique micropigmentation tattoo technique that recreates the natural, three-dimensional look of a real breast. Click here to see actual results. Paramedical breast restoration can be the final step in successful breast cancer recovery.

Most of us have a family member or close friend who has had or who is now struggling against breast cancer. For women, the fight against breast cancer is a universal experience, the struggle that binds us to each other, the cause that brings us together. Breast cancer doesn’t distinguish rich from poor, CEO from sales clerk, professional woman from hotel maid, Hollywood celebrity from small town soccer mom. For women, breast cancer is the great equalizer and the fight against it, a common bond.

If you are close to someone who has fought against breast cancer, you understand the difficulty and intensity of the struggle. You’ve held her hand and cried with her. You’ve kept her company in cold, drafty hospital rooms. You’ve watched her children when the nausea from chemotherapy made her ill. You’ve delivered endless casseroles when she was too exhausted to cook. You may have shaved your head in solidarity or grown your locks for donation to Locks of Love. You’ve walked and cycled countless miles to raise funds for cancer research. Most of all, you’ve been there when your friend needed you most. If you are fortunate, you’ve helped your friend survive for we are slowly, at long last, winning the fight against breast cancer.

But even after the fight is won, the struggle to adjust to the loss of a breast from mastectomy can be a difficult hurdle, one more agonizing battle in the fight against breast cancer.

Thursday: How Permanent Makeup can help your loved one fight the final battle in breast cancer recovery.

Time to wear pink! October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and we’re happy to report that progress is being made. According to the American Cancer Society, since 1990 breast cancer deaths in the U.S. have been declining by about 2% a year. Even so, 192,370 U.S. women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year and 40,170 will die from the disease. The good news is that survival rates are improving: 89% at five years after diagnosis, 82% after 10 years and 75% after 15 years. But survival often carries a high price tag. Women lose their hair, eyebrows and eyelashes to chemotherapy. They may lose a breast if they have to undergo a mastectomy. Cancer surgery can leave unsightly scars. Certainly, it seems a small price to pay for life; but the physical aftermath of battling cancer can continue to reopen emotional wounds as survivors try to move on with their lives.

If you are a cancer survivor, we want you to know that you are not alone. The caring staff at the Whitney Center for Permanent Cosmetics offers our support. Specialized paramedical tattooing techniques perfected by nationally-recognized technician Melany Whitney can help cancer survivors regain their beauty and self-confidence. Permanent makeup can recreate natural eyebrows and eyelashes lost during chemotherapy. Artistic paramedical tattooing can camouflage scars from tumor surgery. Melany’s unique three-dimensional nipple and areola restoration can make surgically reconstructed breasts look natural again. There is life after cancer. Permanent makeup can help a beautiful new you enjoy each new day.

Just a year after a double mastectomy for breast cancer, Christina Applegate looked radiant at this year’s Emmy Awards in a stunning navy silk charmeuse gown from Basil Soda. I loved the sensually draped bodice and eye-catching sheer lace midriff. At the January SAG awards, the Samantha Who? star was just as gorgeous in an emerald green off-the-shoulder gown from Emanuel Ungaro. Christina hasn’t let her battle with breast cancer or her decision to undergo a double mastectomy hold her back. Thanks to the surgery, the television comedian is cancer free, as lovely as ever and working hard.

Like many women who undergo a mastectomy for breast cancer, Christina had breast reconstruction surgery. While surgery can return nature’s curves to a woman’s body, the lack of visible areola and nipples can make reconstructed breasts seem less than real to cancer survivors. It was her desire to help cancer survivors reclaim their femininity that led nationally recognized paramedical tattoo artist and permanent makeup specialist Melany Whitney to develop a realistic-looking three-dimensional areola/nipple complex for reconstructed breasts. Click here to see the amazingly realistic results of Melany’s unique nipple and areola restoration technique.

As Christina knows, self confidence comes from within, but how we look does affect how we feel. Paramedical tattooing restores the breast’s natural beauty, helping cancer victims regain confidence in their own femininity.

Permanent makeup procedures can be used for the correction of a variety of beauty flaws or other skin-related problems. They can even be used to enhance or improve your appearance. A permanent cosmetic makeup professional, such as Melany Whitney, can perform these procedures that will leave you with a lasting result that makes looking in the mirror no longer a fear.

An initial consultation with a permanent cosmetic professional will give you the opportunity to express your concerns about the procedure, discuss your finished look goals and any other questions relating to the procedure. A quality permanent makeup professional will inform you in advance what to expect and if your desired “look” is doable. Some of things that cannot be fixed after they have been done permanently are:

1. Poor color selection of eyebrows - a common error due to lack of proper color training
2. Narrowing eyeliner once it has been applied permanently by another technician
3. Correction of lip color errors (from a past procedure)

In some cases problems that cannot be corrected are caused by an inexperienced technician who has not selected the proper colors or does not have the experience to properly apply the permanent makeup.

When you work with Melany Whitney, you can trust that your permanent makeup will be skillfully and beautifully applied. With years of experience and even certification to teach permanent makeup to other technicians, Melany is the top choice for natural, trouble-free permanent makeup.