Tell me you have never asked yourself 1001 silent questions when a customer comes in your workplace with a diagnosis you have never heard of before or say you have never asked yourself ”Why is my best technique NOT working this time when this specific procedure is my forte?
Or, the best of all, “Is it my pigment or the skin?”
Ok..so I will expose our secret…oops my secret ..IT DID happen to me a few times. Ha!
Being a specialist in restorative dermopigmentation, areola/nipple reconstruction, I never knew about LFS. Yes, I am an instructor, I do have over 15 years of experience as a beauty technician and certified in Canada & Europe for restorative dermopigmentation.
“I’m sorry what? What is LFS?” I asked.
I swallowed a big chunk of guilt when I had to ask my client FILE #1 a 23 year old courageous woman who came to see me for an areola restoration, who was diagnosed with LFS.
Let me tell you a little bit about this BULLY LFS , Li Fraumeni Syndrome is an inherited predisposition to a wide range of certain, rare cancers. LFS is thought to be as frequent as 1 in 5000 to 1 in 20,000 families diagnosed worldwide.
My patient, being left with the option of chemotherapy or having a bilateral mastectomy to diminish the risk of getting breast cancer, chose a bilateral mastectomy, how brave!
Ok, I won’t lie, that moment of doubt and insecurity happened again with FILE #2. A particular case of SMP tested my skills, there was NO pigment retention whatsoever.
My usual beautiful shaved head look was NOT happening this time!
YES, I am guilty your honor! I had no idea what was going on, I’ve worked on scars before, 3 to 4 treatments should do. It was not 1 hair transplant type of procedure, it was 5 hair transplants performed on one small head which meant 5 gigantic scars from one side to the other side of the head. Then again the problem was not the size of his scars, it was the damage of the skin, skin tissue trauma and surgery after surgery. Oh boy!
Last but not least FILE #3, a particular areola restoration to create on a unilateral mastectomy breast but the one who’s had so much tissue removed, the skin was over stretched after the new implant. As i worked on it, it was like working on an inflated balloon. My usual techniques did not look as pretty.
Yes, it happened to me, probably to you and every permanent makeup technician. There is always a FIRST TIME, and it is OK to talk about it.
HERE ARE YOUR 5 ANSWERS: BREATH, WATCH , FOCUS, LEARN, PERSEVERE
No one was born knowing everything. Learn from the experience, be patient, analyze all the details, make a plan and do it again. Your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure. It is a slow process, remember the skin prefers a lighter approach and more consistency anyway!