Can insurance cover my cost of my tattoo??? Maybe. Read more to find out.

For people with a cancer diagnosis and have undergone a mastectomy and reconstruction, 3d areola tattoo is part of reconstruction and a federal law called the Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act (WHCRA) of 1998 requires group health insurance plans that pay for mastectomy to also cover breast reconstruction.

Glow works with Pink Billing Solutions to file insurance for patients to have 3d areola covered by the following insurers: United, Aetna and Cigna. Negotiations for other providers are underway and we hope soon more will be added! For all other insurance providers, Glow can assist to get pre approval (if needed) and provide paperwork to have the service reimbursed.

Scar camouflage tattoo is also covered by insurance (new this year) for medically necessary procedures that result in scarring. Therefor scars from cosmetic surgeries are not covered by insurance.

Glow believes in making these procedures as econimically feasible as possible for ALL patients so whether insurance covers the procedure or clients who pay out of pocket, Glow offers affordable pricing. If you have questions about whether insurance will cover your desired service, contact us to find out more.

Starting chemo and worried you will loose your brow hair?

Many people preparing for chemotherapy face a variety of fears, challenges and concerns. One concern is hair loss. Not only on the head but eyebrows as well. Tattooing eyebrows prior to chemotherapy can be a way that if eyebrow hair is lost during treatment, the shape and color will remain. A soft, natural powder brow can be achieved that will give clients confidence even when brows are lost. Tattooed eyebrows eliminate the need for daily makeup application, which can be particularly beneficial when energy levels are low during chemotherapy. Before hair loss begins, you can work with the tattoo artist to design and match the shape and color of your natural brows, ensuring a look that feels familiar and natural.

Saline Tattoo Removal

There are several ways to remove or lighten pigments in the skin. Glow Cosmetic Tattoo offers one solution that uses a product called Lift to pull pigment from the skin. The product can be used two ways. First is for emergency removal. That is within the first 72 hours of a tattoo. After that 3 day window closes, you have to wait the full 4 weeks for tattoo to heal and then the same product, but applied differently, can be used to remove pigment in the skin. During the “emergency” Lift service, the product is applied topically. Salt in the solution draws out moisture from the cells and pigment is drawn out as well. There may be some scabbing which is part of the removal process. After the 3 day window, another method is used which can be done after 4 weeks. By adding Lift into the needle of a tattoo machine, the solution is implanted into the skin. Again, there may be scabbing which draws out the pigment. Some pigments are harder to remove depending on technique. For example, lasers have a hard time getting good results when removing red or while pigments. Larger molecules in carbon based pigments are easier for lasers to remove. If someone has oversaturated dark brows, I usually suggest laser removal since that is a better option. Saline can be good at removing iron oxide pigments, reds (such as lip blush) and white molecules from titanium dioxide. This method takes patience and commitment to see good results. As an emergency treatment, it can remove 70-90% of pigment in one session due to the fact that skin has not covered over the pigment.

CASE STUDY

Image on left is before saline removal session and right is 4 weeks healed. There was some residual pigment that required an additional session to remove.

Scalp micropigmentation

Scalp micropigmentation or SMP is cosmetic tattoo technique that creates the look of hair follicles that can create the illusion of fuller hair for men and women. This technique can be applied to create more density in longer hair or can create the short buzzed hairline for people with bald or nearly bald heads. For people with scars in their hairline, this can be applied to scars to blend scars, for people with alopecia for example, areas effected can receive this service to blend hairless areas of the head into hairlines. For the whole head shaved look, a commitment to shave and keep shaving the head is required. For density issues, follicles can be tattooed to give illusion of density. The process usually requires more than one session, on average 3. How long results last depends on a variety of factors but varies from 6 months to 7 years depending on desires of client and client hair and skin tone. If you have thinning or hair loss issues and are considering SMP as an option, Glow offers free consultations to discuss the process and your personal goals.

3D areola/nipple tattoo

1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. Around 40% of those will need a mastecomy as part of their treatment. In many cases women will opot for breast reconstruction and creating a nipple or areola will be part of that process.

In many cases, the areola will be removed as well if there is chance of cancer cells in the tissue. There are several options for mastectomy patients regarding the areola area. Some surgeons will create a nipple, using a silicone implant or the patients own tissue. Or no medical nipple reconstruction can be a choice. For some patients, a 3d areola tattoo can create a hyper realistic tattoo that will provide color, texture and shadows and highlight that can either match their native breast or create two new areolas.

Sometimes clients have received a medical tattoo at the time of their reconstruction at their doctors, or had past areola tattoos that have faded or that clients are uphappy with. Glow offers free consultations and can at the time of consultation discuss options available.

Not all women who need a 3D areola tattoo are breast cancer survivors. Sometimes women who have undergone breast augmentation can loose their areola. And men can sometimes for medical reasons also have their areolas removed and also be candidates for a 3d areola. Others may have scarring surrounding the areola and a combination of scar camouflage and areola pigmentation can offer women a cosmetic option.

Lastly, there are some women who like to have their areolas repigmented (we loose color as we age in our areolas) soley for cosmetic reasons and that can also be a service that Glow Cosmetic Tattoo can offer clients.

So why choose Glow for this service? Glow understands that there is more to the end results that matter to most. Many past clients have expressed how happy they are to have a female tattoo artist preform this service. Glow Cosmetic Tattoo studio offers clients privacy and discression in a calming inviting space without any other customers or artists sharing the space. The process of this proceedure is as important as the results.

Glow works with a billing company to file insurance claims for United, Cigna and Aetna insurance. Glow can bill directly for those providers. All others can receive a Superbill from Glow Cosmetic Tattoo Studio and submit to their insurance to be reimbursed for the proceedure. Contact your Glow for more details.

Lip Neutralization

Before lip neutralization session

Notice the purple undertones on top lip and corners of bottom lip.

Healed after first session.

Pigments selected to neutralize the purple (in this case yellow) were used to warm the cool undertones. After neutralization, lips can be kept as is or added colors can now be achieved with traditional lip blush tattoo. Result vary and multiple sessions may be required.

Improvements in cosmetic tattoo techniques over the last few years now offers many long term options over conventional make up. One amazing techinque can neutralize dark skin on the lips. Lips that appear darker in color usually are dark around the edges or just in the upper lip. People of African, Middle Eastern, or Mediterranean decent may fine these skin undertones in their lips but it is common for most people to experience these undertones as they age.

Lip neutralization uses color theory to choose colors opposite from the undertones, usually blue or purple, and them applies those pigments usually orange or yellow to neutralize those undertones to a neutral brown. A common misconception is that lip neutralization lightens lips, this is false. The lip apprear to be lighter once those blue/purple undertones are color corrected.

After the lips are neutralized, a target color such as red, pink, coral, or nude colors can be applied to achive desired color result.

Lip neutralization process varies depending on how much color corection is needed. For some, it can be achieved in one session. For others, several sessions of neutralization is needed before a target color can be applied.

Lip tattooing ulizes several topical anestheic to numb lips to ensure the process isn’t painful, total services time varies from 2 to 3 hours. Results last 2 to 5 years. A touch up after 6 weeks is required to perfect the process.

Contact us today for your free consultation if you are interested!

Paramedical Tattooing

Left: Before

Right: Immediately after session.

Custom mixed pigments were tattooed into the incision scars to blend them into surrounding skin. Scalp scar also received stimpling to mimic hair follicles. Redness is common after session and will subside after a few hours. Final results can be assessed after 4 weeks of healing.

What is paramedical tattooing?

It is using cosmetic or traditional tattoo techinques to add skin toned pigments to the skin. Paramedical tattoo is commonly used to camouflage scars or strech marks, and in some cases burns and vitaligo, create 3d areola for those who have had breat reconstruction and lost their areola. It can also be used to recreate belly buttons after surgeries that have left patients without one.

Tattoo camouflage isn’t for all scars or strech marks. The techinque can only be done on scars 6 months healed, not raised or keilod. Scars that are hyperpigmented or hypopigmented should be carefully tested before an entire procedure is carried out. For many of these situations, test areas are recommneded.

Scar and stretch mark camouflage can improve the apprearance of the skin in two ways. First, the needle effects can acutally improve skin texture. Like microneedling, creating trauma to the tissue triggers the body to respond by producing collegen and elastin. Even melanin. It can soften scar tissue, reducing the apprearance and improving texture. Pigments that are matched to surrounding skin are implanted. This reduces the contrast between the scar and surrounding skin.

There are many options to reduce the apperarance of scars and strech marks, but none will elimate them. Good candidates for scar and stretch mark camouflage are surgical scars, burns, breast augmentation scars, c section scars, stretch marks, and hypopigmented skin.

Free consultations both in person and virtually for those who live outside of Ellicott City, MD.