Fixing Flaws

Deanna Bobbitte could put a mermaid on your arm or a whale on your back, but she doesn't want to.

She'd rather take something away.

She's part of what she calls an "evolving" tattoo industry. She does have a tattoo gun - with a tiny needle that comes out to be about the width of a dime.

But she doesn't call herself an artist. Rather, she is a derma-technician, certified in scar camouflaging and paramedical tattooing.

"This isn't about, ‘Click, let's have fun and put this little picture on you,'" she said. "I see people who have lost some of their self-confidence and are embarrassed because of what they look like and if I can take some of that away and help them put a better face to the world, then I'm happy."

Bobbitte is not a doctor and she quickly says there are procedures she won't do without consultation and a doctor's consent.

She's trained in tattooing, with a specialization in the coloring processes that it takes to cover scars.

Sandi Hille, a neighbor of Bobbitte's, has had two facelift scars for about four years.

"When I got my facelift, I lost pigment where the scars are. I was an idiot and didn't ask them to put the scars behind my ears, so I ended up with these white spots you could see every time I pulled my hair back. Maybe it's vanity, but I've always been embarrassed."

Hille, who has never had a tattoo, didn't know what to expect from the procedure.

When Bobbitte did the left side of her face, Hille brought along her version of a security blanket: a white stuffed cat that used to belong to her mother.

"I clutch it when I'm nervous," she said.

A few weeks later, she came back - minus the cat - to get the right side done. The left side had healed nicely, and she was pleased.

"I left my Woobie at home," Hille said. "I only need a blanket this time."

Because Hille's scar is flat, Bobbitte skips a microderm-abrasion treatment that is sometimes used to "level out" the skin.

Those treatments are used on atrophic scars - the kinds that leave holes or "valleys" in the skin.

Bobbitte applies a topical anesthetic and starts making a back-and-forth motion with her tattoo gun.

The needle is new; each patient gets an individually sterilized, "fresh out of the box" needle, Bobbitte said.

"I'm implanting pigment," she said. "I'm recoloring a scar and I go back and forth so that you don't end up with just a straight line, because that doesn't look natural. The hard part is getting the color down - making sure you having enough yellow and enough pink so that it goes with the skin."

Hille feels no pain, but the "numb stuff" makes her ticklish near her ear and she laughs.

She's done in about an hour and pays about $200 for the work. Prices depend upon the complexity of the procedure and the time involved, Bobbitte said.

Recovery times vary by person. A younger person with taut skin will heal faster and an older person with thinner skin may need a longer recovery period.

Hille's face begins to recover in about three days. She'll have a follow-up appointment in about three weeks so the work can be assessed and adjustments can be made if necessary.

The color that Bobbitte used will fade with time and Hille may want to get a touch-up in a couple of years.

"It really depends on the individual," Bobbitte said. "Some people want maintenance and some people never come back."

There are risks involved with the procedure, the biggest one being an allergic reaction to the pigment.

"I make people fill out a pretty detailed questionnaire and if I have any questions or hesitation, I won't do ... (a procedure) without an OK from a doctor," Bobbitte said.

"If I'm working with a big scar, I always do a spot test first, to see how the person will react," she said. "And if a person is particularly sensitive to anything, even some foods, I will sometimes recommend that they don't do it."

Bobbitte was also recently certified to do areola coloration on breasts.

"I have a girlfriend who is a cancer survivor and that really motivates me," Bobbitte said. "She told me, ‘I can go through my whole day and not think about what I've been through and then I get undressed. And it all comes back.'"

Bobbitte has a private office on Glenburnie Road and her appointments are scheduled to maintain privacy, she said.

"This is more than tattooing for me," she said. "If I can make somebody feel better about themselves, then it's a good day for me."

Nikie Mayo can be reached at (252) 635-5665 or nmayo@freedomenc.com.