Facing the World Again

This is Emily. After a dog attack, she avoided leaving her house and interacting with the public.  She was self-conscious about the second and third-degree scars incurred from the trauma and in the before photo you can see the pain in her eyes.

I tattooed the scarring around her mouth to match her skin tones and simulated the upper lip that the dog had torn off.  She’s now regained her confidence and speaks to other survivors, showing them what medical tattooing can do.

But before the tattooing helped her face the world again, Emily was depressed and despondent.  She hopes that others can learn from her experience in not only triumphing over depression but also learning about how dangerous small dogs can be.

While most of us would be careful around a large dog, many of us are less careful around smaller dogs.  And yet, statistically, more people—particularly children—receive serious injuries from small dogs such as beagles and terriers who were bread for centuries to be hunting dogs, and so have an undeniably underlying aggressive streak.

Emily wants to get the word out that it isn’t the dogs who should be blamed for these attacks but rather their owners.  If you are a dog owner, you must responsibly watch your dog around others, especially children who have a tendency to get up close, near the face of the dog.  Even a usually gentle dog can have a bad day, or feel threatened if someone suddenly comes too close to their face.

If you, or a loved one, have lacerations or scars incurred from an animal, particularly on the face, Cosmetic Transformations and other tattoo companies specializing in scar camouflage tattooing can help you revise the scarring and better match it to the surrounding skin.

Transforming your appearance can change your life but you must also seek out therapy and the help of loved ones to help you overcome feelings of isolation and loneliness.

Remember, you are never alone.  Their are organizations to help you work on yourself both inside and out.

Next week I’ll be looking at the effects of cleft palette and how to overcome bullying at school.