Watch a Tattoo Artist Change a Burn Victim's Life With Permanent Makeup

Anyone who has serious scars — especially on their face — knows how challenging it can be to hide them. Painful reconstructive surgeries don't always work, makeup can look fake, and the color of the scar doesn't necessarily blend with your complexion's hue. But according to CBC News, Toronto-based tattoo artist Basma Hameed is helping women feel like their best selves again. By using a special technique over a series of treatments, Hameed is able to camouflage scars, burns, vitiligo, and more with permanent pigment that matches her client's natural skin tone.

Hameed's own painful journey inspired her to make a career in medical tattooing; as a 2-year-old, she was badly burned with hot oil, leaving her with discolored scars from third-degree burns. After more than 100 different procedures, she learned of this emerging form of tattoo artistry and began to practice on her own face. Years later, she is changing lives with her technique. Using a hand-held device, Hameed makes tiny repeated perforations (not unlike a sewing machine) that spread permanent pigment under the skin's surface for a natural look. This technique is also used to apply permanent eyebrow makeup, as well as reconstruct nipples and areolas on mastectomy patients. Watch the video and prepare to be amazed — and moved.