Scarred into Beauty

Scars show trauma, growth and pain, and sometimes when it gets too hard to live with them, getting a tattoo over them can help people feel better. A tattoo artist can help a person reclaim their confidence. Breast cancer survivors with mastectomy surgery scars can cover their scars with a lovely tattoo. People dealing with re-pigmentation, surgery, accident, self-harm scars or stretch marks also can rediscover their confidence through tattooing.

I have a rare skin disease called Scleroderma, an autoimmune, chronic disease that affects the body by hardening connective tissue. My body overproduces collagen, which causes scarring all over my body. While most people with Scleroderma have it internally, which is fatal, I struggle with the rarest form, which is external. My scars are deep and all over my body, from my left arm to my thighs and toes.

I have almost a full sleeve of tattoos on my right, scarless arm and plan to cover all my scars in tattoos. I don’t view it as masking an ugly scar, but as transforming my scars into art pieces. I am thankful for my scars and the opportunity they provide to pursue more ink on my body.

“Your body is a piece of art. You have scars across your canvas, But all markings on a painting are beautiful, And you my dear, Are the prettiest art piece of them all.” – Unknown