Paramedical branch of tattooing turns scars to art
EAST LONGMEADOW — When tattoo artist Ezequiel Lugo opened his studio in East Longmeadow, he wanted to make his mark on his clients — but he never imagined how life-changing his work would be.
"For a long time, I thought I was already changing lives doing tattoos, but this feels much more rewarding," the owner of The Mean Bean Shop told The Republican.
In addition to custom tattoos, Lugo is now one of the few artists in Massachusetts doing paramedical tattoos. He uses specialized techniques to cover burns, stretch marks, scars and areas of the skin or head that have lost pigment or hair.
The procedure can be an important part of breast reconstruction for women that have had mastectomies. People going through gender reassignment are also turning to the process.
Lugo spent the summer taking a professional course where he learned how to use specialized needles and pigments to create realistic looking nipples and areolas onto a new or reconstructed breast.
The colors for reconstruction include coral, pink and brown.
"He's able to make it look like a real nipple, but it's an illusion. If you were to touch it, it's just a flat surface. But it looks 3D," said Arianna Lugo, the artist's wife and business partner. She is also a registered nurse, which comes in handy when advising clients during consultations.
Arianna Lugo shows a mock breast upon which are some tattooed nipples. (Staasi Heropoulos / Special to The Republican)Staasi Heropoulos / Special to The Republican
Very often, the Lugos need a medical order from a doctor to proceed.
"The procedure is covered through insurance because of the Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act. It is considered the final stage of reconstructive surgery for patients that have gone through breast cancer or mastectomies," she said.
Disfigured
While Cindy Sheridan Murphy, 64, of West Springfield, has not had a paramedical tattoo, she knows the crisis of confidence that comes when a breast is removed. Sheridan told The Republican she had a mastectomy 10 years ago after she discovered cancer in one of her breasts.
"It is disfigurement. Think of having a part of your body amputated, and now you have these scars. Every time you get out of the shower, you look at yourself and your self-identity gets totally diminished. You feel like you betrayed yourself," she said.
Murphy is executive director of Each Moment We're Alive, a nonprofit organization she founded in 2019. The cancer support network helps patients and survivors by offering a wide range of free services including peer-to-peer meetings and online support groups.
Through her work, Murphy has met women who boost their self-esteem through tattoos.
"The healing and self-identity takes time and patience, but that compassion for yourself is necessary. Sometimes tattooing gives them that extra piece to love themselves again, because they love the tattoo. They designed it, and they have control over it, because you don't control breast cancer," she said.
Sheridan and Lugo said oftentimes women use hearts and butterflies when they tattoo their breasts, creating the nipple and areola or covering scars. The artist might sketch images using his talent and imagination, or work from examples on a mock breast.
"He can just freehand it or use a ruler that has shapes or circles to help with diameter. Then he'll create a stencil, just like we do with regular tattoos," said Arianna Lugo.
Covering trauma
While it is gaining in popularity, paramedical tattooing has yet to become a mainstream service. Ezequiel Lugo has been performing the procedure for several months and began formally touting the service when he opened The Mean Bean Shop on Harkness Avenue in East Longmeadow.
Lugo also is using his craft to cover scars, burns and stretchmarks, a service that might also be considered medically necessary and part of reconstruction. He combines inks to match pigmentation, filling in colorless areas. He also creates images, blending them to conceal or camouflage injured or traumatized areas.
The artist and his wife work with clients to develop detailed treatment plans, starting with small areas first, keeping track of the needles they use, color combinations and what the ink looks like when the tattooed areas heal.
While insurance companies often cover the expense, Arianna Lugo said they are likely to deny a claim at first, complain about medical bill coding, and make people apply repeatedly. With her background in health care, she feels well-equipped to advocate for her customers.
"I think clients would feel more comfortable coming to a facility where they have a registered nurse that understands the medical portion, who oversees the compliance and the safety regulations," she said.
The paramedical tattoos might be a spiritual lift for his clients, but Ezequiel Lugo said it is therapeutic for him, as well.
"It's Zen for me. I get lost in the work," he said. "I wake up and am grateful for everything I have. This was just a vision at first, but to see it become a reality is an awakening."
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