Dont know if this was an option for anyone

Hi, my name is Stephen, im 19, live in the chicago metro area, and have been living with BN for quite some time. It has always been questioned and looked down at by peers. It is not as bad as other with this problem but it has its downpoints like others… My BN is on my left shoulder, covering the front of my shoulder, about an inch down my left arm, and coming down right above my left nipple… No its not that big, and no its not that dark, but still people decide that its something to laugh about… The way I have been dealing with it is been telling people that i had a bad tan… Well about a year ago i decided to look for a cure, or removal options… Finding nothing but expensive “maybies” and “potential or temporary cures” I was looking around for other ideas… One idea that I had myself, was getting a tattoo. It was alot less expensive that any of the other treatments, and I was getting something out of it. After speaking with many doctors saying yes its ok, and others saying no its not, i decided to make an apointment with my doctor at Gottlieb Memorial Hospitol, where many of my family members work. (i worked there for a while too so i trust every one of em)… I looked on the internet to see if any others had considered this or if any had the actual experience to go through with it… Well my doctor said that since its not cancerous, it would be fine to go through with it… So this past weekend I did… I got a tattoo in black, Grey, Blue, and White… Best of all, it looks great, and covers it up. Its also healing Great and perfectly Normal… If anyone out there was wondering if this was an option, in my opinion, and i say this out of obvious experience, yes its a great option. Especially if you want a tattoo like me :slight_smile: … If anyone has any questions about how im doing, how well its healing, if theres been any problems… I can answer them all… I am basically your human guinee pig in this experiment… Now it hasnt been that long since i actually got it done, and i dont know if complications will arise YEARS down the road… but so far, everything is completely and utterly normal. and it looks great… I hope this helps some people, and maybe inspires them the same. But as a Kid living with BN, I feel like a completely new person… I can take my shirt off all the time and show off my muscles now… I was a actually a model for jc penny’s once… (not to bragg)… But I believe this was a great solution to this problem, and hope people consider this as a possible cure…

Steve

how it going for everyone? those postes are so old?

Can you post pictures of the tattoo?

I’m really glad it worked out for you and you like the result of the tattoo. I’d be interested in seeing it if you wanted to post a pic. I was basically set on a tattoo until I came across the study using the Erbium just recently. I too thought treatment was pretty hopeless and I’m still not to optimistic. The problem i have with a tattoo is location, to cover most/all of it up or at least so its not noticeable would not only take a fairly large tattoo, but one in a kind of odd position. However, if you can find a good artists, its pretty amazing what they can do. Also its a bit hard for me to come up with a good design, but when I think about it, I would rather have a ‘so-so’ tattoo then a becker’s nevus that everyone asks about. So did you go in with a design in your head? Did you let him look at your BN and come up with a somewhat custom design?

I will post picks when it fully heals and stops peeling… if your worried abut having it in a wierd area… i had it in a wierd position… my BN is not really on a flat surface… it covers some of my chest, some of my sholder, and some of my left arm… its a very odd shape… basically the design i had thought of was my skin ripping open, and revealing gears on the inside… this idea worked out well because you can shape it to anything and everything since it has everything to do with my body… i thought it was original and my tattoo artist said it was a great idea as well… the only problem that i encountered is that the stenciling paper is not that flexable, so we had to bend it to shape into my top shoulder left chest and left top arm… what ive noticed the most is that my BN is not tottally covered… but people dont notice it anymore… their eyes affixiate on the tattoo… which why i know that if some people have it like all the way down their back and really dark, they could get something large but with large gaps… like a tiger ripping into thier skin… that way, no it doesnt cover anything, it can be a large tattoo, but it will make it alot less noticeable, and also you wont have to tattoo over EVERYthing… As for design, ur on ur own with that one… i mean there has to be something in your life, or something that inspired you at one point or something… i mean i could say that the gears on me that cover up the BN are some symbolic thing that said that BN was a part of me, or that it was inside me… i know that sounds dumb, but its something to consider… a simple design, or something you can always ADD to is what i think is the best idea… Good luck in choosing.

Thanks, I’m sure I could figure something out, I was thinking about tribal, but hopefully find something a bit different so its not so typical; at least a bit of color faded in or something. Ya I didn’t figure it had to cover up everything, in my opinion covering up the borders of the bn where theres sharp contrast between your bn and normal skin would be most important. If I haven’t used the Erbium in 2 or 3 months I’ll probably come up with some ideas and see a good artist and get his input.

Ya mine is on my right chest and it goes slightly up my neck, tho luckily that part fades so its not noticeable when I’m wherein a shirt. With out my shirt it is really noticeable about a couple inches above my right nipple The only thing thats really odd about getting a tattoo is that it goes past the middle of my chest by about an 1-1/2" to the left side. Which would be really noticeable if not cover’d up, but ya I agree with what you said as you don’t have to cover it all up, I think a good tribal would leave some space and not look so massive. I don’t want to make it sound like I’m complaining tho, but that is what has really kept me from just getting a tattoo in the past.

And no hurry on that pic, but it will be cool to see. Probably a good chance the Erbium will fail and I’ll end up getting tattoo, but summer isn’t hear yet so I can wait a bit longer. But ya I could imagine what you said about feeling like a new person, it’ll be nice not having it in the back of your head, or having someone ask about it every time they see it.

Well thanks again, hope it heals up well for you,
Shawn…

Man i adore what you did, I am 23, I was looking for the best solution since my 15th year. I haven’t been at the sea ever since, never take off my shirt…you know how it feels. My BN is at the same place as yours. Today I went to end this for one more time. I went at the best tattoo artist i know in my country, 500km from my hometown. I had the design ready and I was prepared to take my chances. But he said he will not do it over the BN because he is worried about what may happen to me after a few years. The only way to convince him was to go to a dermatologist and try a sample of the color at my BN. Three or months after I do that and nothing bad happen at the sample area, he will make the tattoo… Those posts like yours encourage the rest of us and give us hope. Please give feedback, thanks and take care.

Thanks guys, I too have been trying to find an answer to the tatoo over the BN question, but have gotten no solid answer due to the lack of general knowledge on our condition. Mine is over my right chest, shoulder and on to my right arm. I have a tatoo on my right arm now, just below my BN, and was hoping to get a tat above the one I have now on the top of my arm and shoulder, so I can at least wear sleeveless shirts in the summer or at the gym. I thank you for giving me some insight and I am going to draw a design and see if I can find a tatoo artist who will be willng to do. Thanks again.

Hi, two days ago I also did a beautiful tattoo over my BN. If you ask me, I would say that so far is the only option, but I don’t know years after how things will be. So, the only think I want to do is to encourage some people that may think of a tattoo solution. If you really have a problem with BN and can be solved with a tattoo, go for it, we did it as well :slight_smile: . Take care

Hi Guys,
Great that you are finding this as an alternative. Unfortunately, I as a girl don’t find this as an alternative at all.
Anyway I’m happy that you guys have a solution for your BN

cheers.

I guess that the tattoo option is for people that will feel comfortable with it, because it’s gonna be big in addition to cover the hole BN surface. If you don’t like tattoos, I think that you shouldn’t do it because of the risk that something will go wrong at the tattoo creation or the BN itself. I hope that they will manage to find a solution in a few years, so this forum will quit working and all of the BN patients will be healed and happy. I am 23 and I couldn’t wait until then… I wish you the best, take care.

Hi nick,
I’ll be doing a test spot with Q-switch laser in the near future. Hope it will give good results so there will be hope for us. Will keep updating you guys.
Wish me luck :wink:

Goooood Luck! check this about lasers http://home.primus.ca/~skrausz/beckers3.pdf
This conversation may interest you as well http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Beckers_nevus/
I don’t know if you will be able to read all these because will probably need to be a member. Check as well all the conversations here about Q switched, Fractional Resurfacing and erbium laser. Again, VERY GOOD LUCK TO U!

Hi Nickcave,

Any chance you could post a picture of it? I have been pursuing the tattoo line. Been talking to a friend who has had loads of tattoos and gave some great advice. Plus he is paid to design tattoos and has a huge portfolio.

Has yours come out the way you expected? Is there anything other future BN people should know about, before going ahead?

Any help appreciated!

Thanks

thanks everyone for responding… my tattoo is still being finished but for being like 6 months old it is acting like every normal tattoo should. as far as i know, my father works in a hospitol and has talked to doctors about the issue… the only advice to me was that the bn could become larger than it is already, but theres still no risk of the tattoo interfering with it as far as they told me… i will try to get some pics up in the near future, i know i keep promising them, but once again, it still isnt finished… but if anyone has any questions about it again. just post em. and your supporters will be here to help!
peace, steve

Just to let everyone know… my tattoo is grey and black… i dont remember if i posted that before, im too lazy to check back… but it covers it perfectly, and the artist told me that light colors like yellow and such might not show up well… the i have light blue around the edges of some of my skull on my arm, and it shows well over the surface, maybe because the surrounding area is colored black so it brings it out… but hope that helps

My tattoo isn’t finished yet as well, I will finish it at the 26th of June and hopefully after the healing process is done I will post some pics of it. My tattoo is just black and my skin color, nothing more than that. My BN Isn’t that dark, so if I manage to cover the difference between the color of the BN and the color of the normal skin, it will be fully covered. So far I’m doing good, I little bit stressed but good. I don’t really know anything more than you do, so I don’t have anything to say about the tattoo process, just the normal stuff about tattoos (clean studio, good artist, a design that you really like, etc). As I told in older posts non of my doctors wanted me to make the tattoo even if they didn’t have an obvious reason. Anyway, as I said when I will finish with it, I’ll post some pics to help you get a general idea how will look your tattoo over the BN. Take care

The tattoo is finished, I’ll post a pic one of these days. Something that I realized at my tattoo was that, over the BN the Ink is not working as at the rest of the body. It is fading more and needs more time to get it at the same color as the rest of the tattoo. So if anyone makes a tattoo, first I would suggest to make it only at the BN borders, so if it fades, the hole tattoo will be at the same fade degree. Second, you must think about second and maybe third time to have your tattoo renewed because of the fact that the BN skin is harder and the ink is not going as deep as at the rest of the skin and looks faded. That is what happen to me, so I’m telling you in case that you will face the same problems. Of course, the fact that this happened to me doesn’t mean that will happen to you as well. So, anyone that is interested on tattooing the BN, think about what I told you and act at your own will. By the way my tattoo looks great so far, but it is too early to say.
Take care

Just took a pic, check it out -> http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff32/traboucos/DSC00662.jpg

hey i came here just to tell u guys and girls that a tattoo is a great idea! really, ive had bn ever since ive known, its been a few months since i did a tattoo on it… now i dont even feel that i had a bn on my shoulder. sure the tattoo feels a bit weird since im a girl but its really beautiful, nobody even realises that i had a bn there… n now i can wear any type of clothes i want. it really helps, ive been suffering because of it for such a long time, i believe that havin a tattoo to cover it is the best solution. n im sayin this even to the girls, it really helps… me im really happy with it!

I’m very happy that the tattoo solution worked for you as well. Unfortunately dealing with tattoo artists is much better than dealing with doctors. If you want to post a pic of your tattoo be our guest :stuck_out_tongue: