“Great Place to Go to Fix Up All the Mistakes”

Once it all healed up I was left looking as if I had been drinking orange juice and it had stained the skin right around my mouth and I had this odd shape to both of my lips, I had to cover everything with makeup, I was desperate to get it fixed but too scared to go somewhere else in case it got worse

I went to a new GP and she said that she had no first hand experience but had heard some good things about a woman in Elwood (Melbourne Australia) who was apparently also doing paramedical work on referral for men who had the old style hair transplants and were left with scars on their scalps, so I thought OK one LAST try to see if this mess can be fixed or not.

The First Appointment:
I made an appointment and the lady said that she would make no promises but if she felt she could not help me then there would be no charge and if she felt she could help me then she would be completely honest about what she thought could be achieved (a good sign I thought). After making the appointment she sent me an email with a link to google maps and even what trains and trams to use to reach her salon.

At the appointment she spent about 45 mins listening to my experiences with cosmetic tattooing and what had been done so far, she took photos and then sat and discussed my photos on her computer with me about how best to fix the shape of my lips. She got me to fill out a medical form and talked to me about my form (even the clinic with the doctors did not do that they just took the form and started tattooing), she then spent about 30 minutes talking to me about what pigments colours could be used.

Then she said to me I know you have been through a lot so lets sit and have a cup of tea and discuss what I think are your best options, while we had a drink she told me that on behalf of all the tattooist she wanted to apologise to me for what I had gone through and she felt she could definitely improve the appearance of my lips and restore a more natural shape and colour. I became very emotional and told her that she was the first person that had said sorry to me, I asked why the skin around my lips looked orange and she said that the only conclusion that she could draw was that the wrong colour had been used and she also said that she had seen 3 clients in the past year with an almost identical history and would like to be able to show me their photographs but regrettably they had not give their consent to show their photos to other clients (someone who actually gives a damn about privacy). She told me that she thought that perhaps I should go home and think about the options before proceeding with more treatments, so that's what I did, total cost to me there at that point was $0.00.

The Correction Appointment:
I mulled it over for 2 weeks and talked to a couple of friends and then rang her back and made an appointment, she sent me an email with some advice before the appointment (even the doctors clinic did not do that).

Before during and after the treatment I counted that she washed her hands six times (I was a nurse and I notice these things) as compared to when I went to the doctors clinic where the technician only washed her hands twice, I thought her hygiene standards were exceptional she even used the same plastic hygiene wrap that the dentists use around their lamps.

Although the first pass with the tattooing was a little uncomfortable the rest of the procedure was completely pain free and I have a low pain threshold. I said to her that I was led to believe that all cosmetic tattooing was painful, and that was just how it was, she felt that it was not only important to have a good result but the whole experience should be a pleasant one, what a complete difference to the last two places I went to.

When the tattooing was finished and I looked in the mirror and I saw that I looked like me again I could not control myself and started crying, it was the first time I have ever hugged someone in that kind of a setting, I felt so embarrassed but she took it all in her stride and said that she understood that it had been a emotional experience for me. Before the treatment she told me that she thought that with the correction she could restore my lip shape and surrounding skin colour to about 80% but I think the result is closer to 95%. The total cost to me there was AU$520.

My Conclusion:
My advice to anyone considering cosmetic tattooing is look for a technician who is prepared to take their time with you and is not in a great hurry to pack the customers in. The most expensive ritzy places with plush furnishings are often not the best and avoid the very cheap places at all costs. Ask around what sort of experiences other people have had, don't let anyone pressure you into getting work done (as this lady said if you are good at what you are doing why would you need to pressure clients to get work?).

I honestly hope my story helps other people who have had problems.

Updated on Feb 22, 2010: