Pinegrove Stages a Complicated Comeback

On a hot Michigan afternoon in September, 2017, Evan Stephens Hall was onstage at a music festival, tuning his guitar and thinking about his sunglasses. "I feel like it's unfortunate that I have to wear sunglasses," he said, lifting them to squint at the sun and at the crowd. "Because the eyes are the best way to let a person know that you mean it." He was joking, sort of. Hall, who is thirty, is the singer and songwriter for Pinegrove, an indie-rock band that was then assembling an unusually zealous group of fans—Pinenuts, they sometimes called themselves, with self-deprecating sincerity. There is something embarrassing about loving a band enough to give yourself a nickname, just as there is something embarrassing about singing earnest songs full of romantic complaints. "Just trust me—I mean it," Hall said, with a sheepish smile. Then he led his band through "Visiting," which seems to chronicle a long-distance entanglement ("I'm spectral for days on end, these days / With thoughts about visiting"), and which drives toward a fervent expression of confusion:

But the truth isI don't know whatI thought I knew it.

Pinegrove turns lyrics such as these into rousing and sometimes twangy rock songs, which fail to be cool in two different ways: they are equally as likely to elicit cringes from listeners who value emotional restraint as they are from those who demand fashionable innovation. And yet Pinegrove harnesses, perhaps more effectively than any other band of its era, the power of a well-turned musical confession. This music fits, loosely, into the category of emo, which began, in the nineteen-eighties, as a passionate offshoot of hardcore punk, and expanded to include a universe of bands that were simultaneously scrappy and sentimental. In the two-thousands, "emo" often denoted angsty and theatrical hard-rock bands like Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance, which briefly dominated MTV and the nation's high schools. But by the twenty-tens, when Pinegrove emerged, there was no sense in worrying about who would be the next Fall Out Boy; with hip-hop ascendant and MTV essentially dead, it seemed clear that there wouldn't be one. The spirit of emo was instead nurtured online and at do-it-yourself house shows, where the financial stakes were low. Pinegrove built a following in basements—first in Hall's home town of Montclair, New Jersey, and then farther afield. After a few years, Hall noticed that audiences were singing along. The band graduated from basements to clubs and got a contract with an independent record label, called Run for Cover. Pinegrove's breakthrough album, "Cardinal," released in 2016, contained "Visiting" and seven more songs that were similarly plaintive, and similarly addictive.

By the time Hall played that festival in Michigan, the Pinegrove cult was growing both more obsessive and less exclusive. An article in Vice hailed "Cardinal" as "a perfect album." The band was selling out midsize clubs nationwide, playing shows that were starting to feel vaguely religious. Fans were getting Pinegrove tattoos—often an outline of interlocking squares, like those on the cover of "Cardinal." (The actress Kristen Stewart has a Pinegrove tattoo.) After years of living with his parents, Hall had rented a house in rural upstate New York, with a big living room, where the band recorded an elegant and folksy new album, "Skylight." Pinegrove seemed poised to enlarge its audience significantly, winning over grownup listeners who were drawn in by Hall's achy sincerity, even if they would never dream of attending a basement emo show.

On November 21, 2017, about two months after the Michigan concert, Hall wrote a Facebook post that changed the way people viewed him and his music. He explained that he had been "accused of sexual coercion," by a woman with whom he had had a brief relationship. His post contained nearly eight hundred words, but few details. The accusation itself was not made public, and neither was the identity of the accuser; Hall said that he was withholding the full story out of respect for her privacy. He did not admit or deny guilt, nor did he explain what "sexual coercion" entailed, except in negative terms: "i absolutely never threatened her, i never leveraged anything against her." Hall acknowledged his "privilege as a man" and as a "recognized performer," and wrote, "i am so sorry." But his penitence seemed mixed with confusion, and perhaps frustration:

i believed all of our decisions to be based in love. still, i am coming to terms with the fact that i monumentally misread the situation. i am trying earnestly to follow this line as deeply as it goes to reflect on all of the things i could have done, and can do, better.

Hall announced that he would be "taking some time off." Pinegrove cancelled its upcoming tour dates and the planned release of "Skylight," and Hall vanished from social media.

A different kind of band might have had partisans rushing to defend their hero, but many Pinenuts, after registering their shock and anger, took a more ambivalent position, trying to balance their fandom with their concern for victims of sexual abuse. The power of Hall's music derived in part from his ability to persuade listeners to trust him. Just as hip-hop fans may expect their favorite rappers to be as tough as they say they are, many Pinenuts wanted Hall to be as thoughtful and sensitive as the narrator of the songs they loved.

A few musicians from the scene condemned Hall's statement, or his character; one compared him to the Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Many more were conspicuously silent. A fan posted a melancholy plea on Twitter:

all I want for christmas is a clear understanding of the sexual coercion accusations toward evan stephens hall with considerate representation of the victim's voice and either a pinegrove reunion tour or a pinegrove tattoo removal kit dependent on aforementioned circumstances ok?

In September, 2018, Hall resurfaced. He told the music site Pitchfork that, at the request of his accuser, he had gone a full year without touring. A couple of months later, the band launched a comeback tour, with a concert in Montclair and another in Brooklyn, where Hall only alluded to the topic on everyone's mind. "This has been a really challenging year," he said. The band split with its label—a mutual decision, both sides maintained—and released "Skylight" independently. Online, plenty of people wondered why, in a world with no shortage of earnest indie bands, it made sense to support one with a singer accused of sexual misbehavior. But many Pinenuts returned, filling up bigger venues than ever before.

Fans trying to sort out the ethics of supporting Pinegrove didn't have much to go on. The accuser had declined to comment to Pitchfork, but she had confirmed some details through an unnamed intermediary, who explained only that Hall had applied "verbal and contextual pressure." In Hall's Facebook post, he had written, "i have been flirtatious with fans and on a few occasions been intimate with people that i've met on tour," adding that he had "reached the conclusion now that that's not ever appropriate." Some people assumed that the accusation had come from a fan.

In fact, Hall's accuser had been on tour with Pinegrove as a member of the band's crew. Although she still wishes to remain anonymous, she told The New Yorker that she was willing to disclose her professional experience, to make clearer the pressure that she felt when she and Hall began their relationship. An indie tour can feel like a non-stop party, or like an extended road trip, but it is also a workplace—albeit one with few written rules, and no distinct boundaries between personal and professional lives. She says that this atmosphere, combined with Hall's power as the leader of the band, gave rise to a romantic relationship that she now sees as implicitly manipulative. "He really had no control over me," she says. "But, in the bubble of tour, I really felt like he did." The relationship ended soon after the tour, and she says that it took her a while to figure out that, even though there had been no violence in the relationship, she felt damaged by it—and th at she wanted Hall to take some time to reflect on the damage he had done.

Hall, too, talks about the disorienting insularity of touring. He says that, in those early days, he didn't give much thought to the fact that the people on tour with him were in some sense his employees, not merely his friends. "The culture was really one of equality," he says. "I perhaps naïvely thought there was no power structure there." He still resists the idea that he was his accuser's boss, since at the time the band was not in a position to offer anyone a long-term job or even a living wage. Of course, the leader of a burgeoning band nevertheless wields plenty of influence, no matter how little money he makes. Every rock concert involves a power dynamic: even at an egalitarian basement show, a small number of people make most of the noise, and a larger number of people do most of the listening. Hall says that, as Pinegrove has grown, the band has developed "more self-aware professional practices," with "more clearly delineated boundaries"; romantic re lationships between band members and crew members are now "emphatically discouraged."

The rise of Pinegrove was a communal phenomenon, enabled by fans and fellow-musicians who became friends, all of them devoted to creating a world apart from the corporate music industry. But Hall's accuser says that, for her, this lack of structure posed a problem: she wishes that she'd had access to the indie-tour equivalent of a human-resources department. "I think that could have helped me at the time," she says. "Just having someone that I know I could call."

"Skylight" was essentially completed before the band disappeared; when Hall published the Facebook post, the label had already distributed advance copies for review. Now Pinegrove is releasing "Marigold," the first album to reflect the band's changed circumstances. On a recent snowy afternoon upstate, Hall answered the door wearing a royal-blue cardigan and hand-painted Vans, and he talked readily but carefully about "Marigold," which, he says, is the product of "a period of intense self-reflection." Pinegrove's drummer, Zack Levine, was there, too. Levine lives down the road from Hall with his wife, Nandi Rose, a former Pinegrove member, who now leads her own band, Half Waif.

Hall found emo relatively late in life. In high school, his favorite band was Radiohead, whose lyric sheets resemble postmodern collages. He started a grungy rock group with Levine, his childhood best friend. (Levine's father plays in a cover band with Hall's father, Doug, a commercial musician whose biggest hit is better known than any Pinegrove song: he wrote the infernally catchy comic-opera jingle for the financial-services company J. G. Wentworth.) Hall formed Pinegrove while studying at Kenyon College, in Ohio, and found himself drawn to richer melodies, cleaner guitars, and more forthright lyrics. Levine was a founding member, and so was his sibling, Nick Levine, whose pedal steel echoes the sorrowful sound of Hall's voice.

Early on, Hall described Pinegrove as "language-arts rock," but some of his most memorable lyrics were so matter-of-fact that they scarcely seemed to have been written at all: "I saw Leah on the bus a few months ago / I saw some old friends at her funeral." He had no evident fear of sounding solipsistic—a word that appears in the Pinegrove corpus—or of issuing, from time to time, the kind of histrionic pronouncements commonly associated with teen-agers. (From "Aphasia," a crowd favorite: "If I don't have you by me / Then I'll go underground!")

"Marigold," to be released by the esteemed British label Rough Trade, is noticeably more stoic. Hall says that he wants to avoid the perception that he is seeking sympathy or luxuriating in self-pity. "Yes, I've had plenty of emotions about what's going on," he says. "But that's not really what my focus is as an artist." A singer known for sharing his feelings is trying to be more circumspect. One of the most arresting songs on the album is "Spiral," which consists of thirty-two amphibrachs—three-syllable lines, with the stress in the middle—building toward an affirmation:

Drink waterGood postureGood lightingGood eveningGood morningGood morningGood morningI see you.

Hall is quick to remind people that his songs are not necessarily reflections of his own life. But on "Marigold" there are plenty of parallels. "Alcove," which was inspired by a trip to California to see his extended family, is a message from a man heading into exile: "I'll go if you want." The end of the album is anticlimactic—the last song is "Neighbor," an allegory about dead animals that sounds a bit like an undergraduate writing exercise, and it is followed by a meditative six-minute instrumental track, during which the band cycles slowly between chords. But "The Alarmist," a beautiful lament in 6/8 time, suggests that Hall has not, in fact, sworn off self-pity:

It would be good to talkFor my sanityNow do what you feel like you gotta doBut be good to me.

Hall spoke warmly of the musical community that once nurtured Pinegrove, but when asked whether he still felt like part of such a community he paused for a long while. "That's a hell of a question," he finally said. Eventually, he was saved by a scratching sound emanating from the kitchen. "Maybe a mouse," Levine said.

"Yeah, well, they're around," Hall said. "It's cold outside. Let's let 'em in."

Two years ago, the survival of Pinegrove was not assured. Many of the band's fans inhabit a musical subculture where allegations of sexual misbehavior are taken seriously, or at least more seriously than they often are elsewhere. (About a week before Hall's post, Jesse Lacey, the lead singer of the beloved emo band Brand New, was accused of soliciting explicit photographs from an underage fan; within days, the band had effectively ceased to exist.) This vigilance reflects a shift within the world of emo, long dominated by boys singing about girls, and now increasingly self-conscious about that history. It also reflects a shift in the broader culture, in which consumers are newly aware of their power to penalize public figures who misbehave—not just criminals but everyday manipulative creeps, too. The rise of music streaming has created an illusion of infinite choice: no matter what kind of music you like, there are an endless number of "artists," as Spotify calls them, e ager to find a place in your playlists. On Twitter, one music critic voiced exasperation that people were still writing about Pinegrove: "THERE ARE SO MANY OTHER BANDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" That is true. And it is true, too, that a singer like Hall makes it impossible to listen to his music without thinking about his life. But, even in an age of abundance, great songs are a rarity. A band like Pinegrove can certainly be ignored, but, for fans, it can't easily be replaced.

Although streaming services like Spotify deliver music online, they also offer refuge from the Internet: their algorithms serve up new artists automatically while providing little information beyond names and thumbnail images. And so the release of "Marigold" will surely bring Pinegrove lots of new listeners, many of whom will know nothing about the band's backstory. Those who do know may find themselves considering whether a yearlong hiatus is satisfactory penance.

Hall's accuser wants to distance herself from the band's comeback. "At the end of the year," she says, "I felt like, The year is up, do what you're going to do, and I don't want any part of it." Certainly, Hall has reacted less like someone who thinks he did an awful thing than like someone who thinks he has been thrust into an awful situation. "It's a complicated position to be in," he says. "But I'm trying to play the hand that's been dealt." Hall went to therapy weekly during his year away and is trying to live in a "more intentional" way. During one song from "Marigold," he sings, gently, "No drugs and alcohol tonight / I follow my shadow up and out the skylight." Since returning to touring, he says, he has been working toward performing all his concerts sober.

Is this enough? Some listeners will be moved by Hall's determination to keep anger at bay, but others may be disturbed that he is singing—still!—songs that seem to be about his private sorrows. There is no way to judge the sufficiency of Hall's atonement without deciding how much he had to atone for in the first place. The new Pinegrove sounds darker and more subdued, and the joyful camaraderie of early Pinegrove concerts has been replaced by a warier kind of intimacy. These days, everyone still sings along, but fewer people seem to be taking pictures. They are happy to be there, but not quite ready, perhaps, to tell the world. ♦

Sarah Hyland Is Getting a Butt Tattoo Removed and It Looks Pretty Painful

Sarah Hyland has several tattoos, most of which are delicate, black symbols or lettering on areas like her ribcage and spine. One, however, arguably stands out from the rest: a cartoonish, purple tyrannosaurus rex on her right butt cheek. And while she first showed it to fans only two years ago, it appears she may already be tired of it.

Hyland, who has frequently been very candid on her Instagram Stories, used the platform to share that she was visiting registered nurse Jamie Sherrill, known as Nurse Jamie, at her Los Angeles medspa. "Actual reaction to some laser tattoo removal @nursejamiela 😂," she wrote. In the brief front-facing video, we get a closeup of Hyland's face, partially covered by black safety goggles. But even though her eyes are covered we can see from her furrowed brow and her mouth just how uncomfortable the process can be.

Instagram/Sarah Hyland

You can hear a little beep just before the camera shakes when the Modern Family actor is startled by the pain of the laser. "Oof! That hurts," Hyland says. Sherrill asks, "Spicy?" And Hyland confirms in a pained but good-spirited voice, "Spicy!"

Although we can't confirm that it's Hyland's dinosaur tattoo being removed, it seems the most likely target based upon where Sherrill is aiming the laser. And, unfortunately for Hyland, Sherrill will very likely have to aim the laser there again because it can take several sessions to fully break up and remove the pigment. "The focus of the laser treatment is to disintegrate the ink particles of the tattoo," dermatologist Paul Jarrod Frank has previously told Allure. "A high-intensity light beam is targeted at the pigmentation, causing it to break apart, become absorbed into the body, and be excreted through the body's natural immune system."

Hopefully, Hyland will consider sharing the results of her removal with fans — and invite us along for any additional documentation of the process.

More on Sarah Hyland:

Now check out 100 years of tattoos:

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Tattoo Removal Tips By New York Tattoo Removal Experts

If you're thinking of taking off your tattoo or just want to know about it, there are many things to be learned about the process of tattoo removal. Let's see some of the tis given by professional which would answer basic tattoo removal questions.

Before getting a tattoo removed, there are a few things you need to bear in mind. 

Choose carefully where to remove Tattoo

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the Unites States have advised that it is safer and healthier to consult a dermatologist to remove your tattoo.

Normally, removals are done with FDA approved lasers and the process is overseen by removal professionals.

           You should seek for tattoo removal service from experts. A medical practitioner with proper training and experience should carry out the laser treatment. You should follow up with post-treatment procedures as per the recommendations of the specialist. The Finery has a team of experts in tattoo removal. You will get proper pre and post-treatment care at the facility.

Take supplements to speed up the healing process

According to New York tattoo removal experts you should take supplements to speed up the healing process. The way this supplements work is that it enhances absorption of ink pigment into the bloodstream for easier elimination through the lymphatic system and to speed up the tattoo removal process.

Public domain photo/Arpingstone at the English Wikipedia project

Don't underestimate the Aftercare

The same way you had it with your first tattoo, the removal process creates an open wound that needs careful treatment for proper healing and to boycott the incidence of an infection.

At the end of each session, that area is bandaged the same way it is to be done at home by the patient for a week at least or till it heals.

The bandage is changed daily after the area is cleared using a mild soap. Putting a bandage around that part protects the tattoo from the sun and ensures the treated skin heals well.

            Get the aftercare treatment kit from the place where you removed the tattoo. The Finery aftercare treatment kit also includes sunscreen that effectively blocks sun rays which may cause damage to sensitive skin. After tattoo removal, the skin is extremely sensitive. You should use the Sunscreen on a daily basis and as much as possible to avoid outdoors.

Give time to the process

To get a tattoo removed, multiple visits to the removal specialist will always be required. Several sessions may be required in some cases. 

Consult an expert first to examine your tattoo and review your medical history in order to know the number of visits your tattoo removal would require.

Various factors determine how many treatments one gets. Such factors include tattoo age, size, number of colors, etc. 

To remove tattoos with picosecond-wavelength (and this is considered the highest standard), about 7-10 treatments with 6-8 weeks spacing in between are required.

The ability of your body to remove ink from the skin also determines the number of treatments. It differs from person to person.

Author: Maria Andreas

How to remove your Tattoo: Try these six ways

Putting a tattoo can be a big rage in today's time. But sometimes we do feel that putting a tattoo might not have been a good decision of our lives. Reasons like having memories from a previous relationship or not being able to get a certain job. In those cases, you might need to get your tattoo removed.

Tattoo removal options :

Laser removal

The common method of removing tattoos is done through the process of laser removal. This method uses highly concentrated light that targets the ink used in the tattoo. This light breaks the ink into small fragments which the body's immune system is able to get rid of in a very short span of time. You can have several laser treatments done to remove your tattoo. However, it can cause pain, injury, and blisters in the area leading to scarring.

Cover up

This is a much less painful method of doing a tattoo removal. Here, an old tattoo that you don't like can be covered with a new one. When it is done the right way, the old tattoo can be completely invisible. It is very cost-effective. However, one disadvantage of cover-ups is that you cannot cover for example a black tattoo with a  pink one because it will be seen. Usually, a dark tattoo should be covered by a dark color.

Skin Excision

Skin excision is generally the procedure of surgically removing the tattooed skin which might leave a scar on your body depending on the size of the tattoo you have. Removing small tattoos can be easier through this method but for bigger tattoos, it may create severe problems. The combination of both skin grafts and skin excision is used to effectively remove the tattoos.

Tattoo removal cream

Another option that is available can be the usage of removal cream and this is favourable when it comes to the low cost it is offering. The main issue is that it might not be very efficient in removing the ink. This may fade the ink away for the time being but will not fully remove it from the skin. The frequent use of the cream can have some better effects on the removal. However, it will take a long time to get such recovery.

Injections:

Injections filled with glycolic acid or other liquid solutions can be used for the removal of tattoos. They may leave a burn like mark on the epidermis and dermis of the skin and the success rate of removal is quite low as well. The tattoo removal is in any way a difficult task altogether. The pain and scars are a part and parcel of it.

Salabrasion & Dermabrasion

Both Salabrasion & Dermabrasion are traditional methods used for the removal of tattoos from the skin. They are known to be very painful procedures and people don't like to use them for various other reasons as well. You will notice a very visible and long-lasting effect on the epidermis of the skin if you ever plan to avail of this method.

Tattoo Removal: How Much the PicoSure Laser Costs and How Much It Hurts

Listen, I'm not here to tell you that getting your ex's name tattooed was a risky choice. You already know/knew that (no judgment though). I am, however, here to inform you of how to properly remove your tattoo (again, of course, if that's what you want to do). If you're reading this, my guess is you've exhausted all the different tattoo cover-up design options and have decided to get rid of it altogether.

The next and most important step, according to dermatologist Arash Akhavan, MD, founder of The Dermatology and Laser Group in NYC: to have laser tattoo removal performed only under the direct supervision of a licensed physician who's board-certified in order to ensure both safety and efficacy. In other words, you might have rushed into getting that inside-joke tattoo while out with your friends, but don't rush into removing it without (1) reading this and (2) going to the right doctor.

Can I remove a tattoo at home?

The more hate you have for your tattoo, the more desperate and willing you are to try whatever DIY tattoo removal concoction you find online. But you'll regret trying to remove it yourself more than you regret your tattoo, so put down the lemon juice and peroxide. Dr. Akhavan says, DIY tattoo removal is not only largely ineffective, but it can also, unfortunately, lead to serious complications, like permanent scarring.

Does tattoo removal actually work?

When done with a laser, as opposed to a DIY recipe, yes, tattoo removal actually is possible. "Laser tattoo removal is by far the most effective way to remove tattoos," Dr. Akhavan says. "Lasers work by heating the tattoo ink particles under the surface of the skin, splitting them into smaller ink particles that can then be cleared from the skin by our immune systems."

That said, your skin tone and the colors used in your tattoo play a huge role in tattoo removal. "Laser tattoo removal is available for all skin tones, but it is most effective on skin that has less pigment," Dr. Akhavan says. "No matter the skin type, laser tattoo removal can leave a trace of scarring and hypopigmentation (decreased pigment) at the site of the removed tattoo. This is typically very subtle and becomes less apparent with time." Dr. Akhavan adds that black ink on less pigmented skin is the most ideal scenario for tattoo removal. Colors that are lighter, like yellow, light blue, light green, and orange, are the toughest ink colors to remove.

What is PicoSure?

PicoSure is a short-pulse laser by Cynosure that treats pigmentary conditions, and it can also be used for tattoo removal. Unlike some lasers that rely only on heat, this uses a PressureWave technology to break the ink apart with less damage to the surrounding skin, and it is then absorbed by the lymphatic system and eliminated.

How many sessions does it take to remove a tattoo?

If you were hoping to walk out of your first appointment with zero trace of your old tattoo, sorry to disappoint. According to Dr. Akhavan, the number of sessions it takes to remove a tattoo depends on many factors: color, density, depth of pigment, and the type of laser being used. "More modern picosecond lasers, such as the PicoSure Focus, break the ink up much more effectively, and with less trauma to surrounding normal skin," Dr. Akhavan says. "In the best case scenario, the tattoo can be completely removed in five sessions or less. Unfortunately, some cases can be more stubborn and more than 20 treatments may be needed."

Not only will it likely require more than one session, but you also have to factor in the time it takes to heal between each one. With the PicoSure Focus, Dr. Akhavan typically recommends sessions that are spaced approximately two months apart, but with older, non-picosecond lasers, treatments should be further apart to allow the skin to heal from the extra trauma.

How much does tattoo removal cost?

The cost of laser tattoo removal is based on the type of laser being used, the level of expertise of the operator, the size and complexity of a tattoo, and the geographic location of the laser removal center. The cost can range from several hundred to several thousand dollars per session—much, much more than it cost to get it in the first place.

Is it painful to remove a tattoo?

If you didn't do anything to numb the pain, tattoo removal would be a very painful experience (worse than your breakup). Thankfully, most doctors' offices have different methods of pain control available. "At our office, we use prescription-strength numbing creams, external skin cooling devices, and local injections of anesthetic to make the procedure painless," Dr. Akhavan says.

Final Thoughts

When deciding whether to try tattoo removal, think long and hard about how much you dislike your ink because the process isn't cheap nor easy. But if you're ready to get rid of any trace you have of your ex or reminders of your past life, then it's probably worth all the time and money in the world to you—just promise me you won't try to do it yourself, K?

What I Wish I Knew Before I Became a Tattoo Artist

Brooke Shunatona Brooke Shunatona is a contributing writer for Cosmopolitan.com.

Woman obsessed with Meghan Markle-style freckles left with red scars after botched permanent make-up

Woman 'obsessed' with Meghan Markle-style freckles is devastated after botched permanent make-up left her with dark red spots across her face - and it cost £3,600 to correct

EXCLUSIVE: Rebecca Febo, 25, of London, was 'obsessed' with freckles for years

Began drawing on freckles with make-up in 2016 and decided on tattoo in 2017

Booked £350 treatment at permanent make-up clinic but freckles faded in week

Went back and tattooist inked them deeper, leaving freckles prominent and dark

Wore heavy make-up for a year to cover scars until sought correction procedure

Underwent eight treatments to remove permanent make-up and is finally happy  

By Hayley Richardson For Mailonline

Published: 05:42 EST, 2 January 2020 | Updated: 05:42 EST, 2 January 2020

A woman 'obsessed' with having freckles like those of Meghan Markle was left devastated when a botched permanent make-up procedure almost scarred her for life.

Rebecca Febo, 25, from London, had to wear heavy make-up for a year to cover up the dark, reddened spots on her face before seeking corrective treatment - which cost her £3,600.

She told how the ordeal left her feeling horribly self-conscious and 'every day was a struggle'.

Now the tattoo artist is keen to warn others seeking permanent make-up treatments to do their research and carefully select a practitioner.

Rebecca, pictured with her boyfriend before having her freckle tattoo, said the ordeal has been a struggle

Pictured after her freckle tattoo, Rebecca told how the spots became inflamed and required her to wear heavy make-up for a year to cover them up

Rebecca told FEMAIL: 'I was devastated when I thought that I'd have to live with these freckles. Every day was a struggle. 

'Even though I did my research, I was left with possible scarring on my face for life. I wore heavy make-up for a year so people would hopefully not notice. 

'I was very self-conscious. I wouldn't know what to do without my boyfriend, he has been my strength and support during this ordeal.'

Rebecca admitted she has been 'obsessed' with freckles for years and began drawing them on with make-up in 2016, after seeing photos of them on celebrities.

Rebecca spent a year drawing on freckles using make-up (pictured) after seeing photos of them on celebrities

'I loved the way it looked on other people and thought it it added a touch of beauty,' she explained.

'I always thought my face would look better with freckles.'

Every day, after applying her normal make-up, she would draw on a smattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks. 

In 2017, after a year of drawing on the brown spots, Rebecca read up on cosmetic permanent make-up. 

'After some research, I booked a consultation with a clinic as I was ready to take the plunge and have permanent freckles,' she recalled.

In 2017, after a year of drawing on the brown spots (pictured), Rebecca read up on cosmetic permanent make-up

'Unfortunately, after just one week of having the £350 treatment done, the freckles faded completely. 

'I went back to the practitioner who did not explain why this happened, other than that I may have applied too much cream on the face afterwards so the ink couldn't settle. 

'Instead of offering a refund, I was invited to go back to the clinic where the practitioner used more pressure with the ink on the skin, going deeper into my skin. 

'This was when I started to worry my newly tattooed freckles looked alarmingly prominent and dark, but I was reassured it was because it was just done, and the spots would eventually lighten up and look more natural. But they didn't.'

Rebecca went back to the same practitioner who offered a further treatment to 'bleed' the freckles. 

After explaining she wasn't satisfied with the initial results, Rebecca was invited to go back to the clinic where the practitioner used more pressure with the ink on the skin, going deeper (pictured)

She did this three times and it didn't fade them; instead it turned the freckles from a dark brown to an al arming red, which only made matters worse.

'I was getting very stressed about the situation and the practitioner, realising that this was beyond rectifying with her experience, recommended I have chemical peels with someone else,' Rebecca said.

However, Rebecca said another practitioner took one look at her face and said there was nothing they could do.

Rebecca spent a whole year suffering in silence before she finally had the courage to seek help - and luckily was recommended to skin repair expert Lorena Oberg.

Rebecca went back to the same practitioner who offered a further treatment to 'bleed' the freckles. She did this three times and it didn't fade them; instead it turned the freckles from a dark brown to an alarming red (pictured), which only made matters worse

Lorena has clinics in Surrey and central London and is r enowned for safely and efficiently removing unwanted tattoos and permanent make-up. 

Rebecca needed eight treatments at the Harley Street branch to reverse the damage caused by the botched procedure, but now she can she can finally go make-free and feels confident about her looks.

'This experience changed my life and I appreciate my natural face more than ever before,' she said.

'I cry every time I see Lorena at my appointments. She doesn't realise it but she helped me through this traumatic experience with her kind words, and her remarkable skills have given me my face back.' 

Lorena, CEO and founder of Lorena Oberg Skincare, said: 'Rebecca came to my London clinic and I couldn't believe what I was seeing. 

Rebecca needed eight treatments at Lorena's Harley Street branch to reverse the damage caused by the botched proce dure, but now she can she can finally go make-free and feels confident about her looks (pictured)

'You need to be very experienced in order to practice permanent make-up and it is evident that there are people out there offering these treatments that shouldn't be. 

'A number of reputable permanent make-up experts will refuse customers who seek freckle tattooing due to a number of factors - the main one being the migration of ink and change in colour over time, not to mention the long-term consequences of not being able to have IPL or Laser treatments on the face.'

The build-up of damage meant Rebecca would have to have numerous permanent make-up removal treatments, which each cost £450.

After identifying what ink pigment was used - which is vital as this can vary from practitioner to practitioner - Lorena worked out a treatment plan.

She then used a combination of specialist techniques to correct and remove the pigment. 

The build-up of damage meant Rebecca would have to have numerous permanent make-up removal treatments with Lorena (pictured), which each cost £450

'It is painful, but it becomes less so with each treatment I preform because the tattoo removal lasers react with the pigment and only with the pigment,' Lorena explained.

'It is because the ink is exploding underneath the skin and that explosion is quite uncomfortable. But unfortunately, it is the only way to get rid of the pigment. 

'The freckles on Rebecca's face were not only big but they were deep, so it has taken a number of treatments to get to a point now where she feels comfortable enough not to wear heavy make-up. 

'I am not a big fan of having freckles tattooed. When you are young they might look nice, but when you get older and need laser treatment for another reason, such as hair removal or pigmentation, even if you can't see the freckles from 10 years prior, you will still be affected when you need to have laser treatment.'

'I truly couldn't believe what she had been through, but I am so pleased with Rebecca's results and that she is happy,' Lorena added. 

Lorena's advice for anyone thinking of having permanent make-up

- Do your research! Ask a friend, get a recommendation, and check out the practitioner's reviews across all platforms

- In the consultation, do not be afraid to ask as many questions as you need to

- Identify their professional certificates: these should be hanging up in the clinic somewhere

- Ask to see their client case studies and make sure these are hea led results – do these marry up with what you saw on social media?

- Do not be forced into anything. If you feel uncomfortable listen to your gut. Walk away after the consultation and don't go through with it if there is doubt in your mind.

- It is imperative to tell your practitioner of any prior cosmetic work (permanent make-up such as microblading or laser treatments) that you have had done (the machine will read it even though you might not see any work done to the naked eye)

- Lastly, ensure the medical practitioner you use is insured! Take a note of the insurance. If something goes wrong, this is the only way you will be compensated. This is so important.

For more information about Lorena's work, visit www.lorenaoberg.co.uk 

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A Tattoo Removal Cream is Coming

— And It Will Change How You Think About Getting Inked

Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash

Whether any fellow tattoo fanatics will admit it or not, most of us have at least one tattoo that we regret. This could range from having an ex's name tattooed across your chest, or a rope from your upper thigh to the middle of your calf with a rooster hanging on the end

Until recently, the only way of removing a tattoo (short of a painful session with a cheese grater) was to endure multiple sessions of laser removal. Depending on the size, age and coloring of the tattoo, it could take anywhere from 10 to 15 sessions to 'completely' remove the tattoo. And for those on a budget, those 10 to 15 sessions can be prohibitively expensive. While price per session changes from country to country, a large tattoo removal in the UK can cost upwards of 8000£ (approximately 10 000 USD).

The problem with this treatment method is that generally it only fades the tattoo, making it easier to cover over, rather than fully removing it. Laser removal can also be painful (physically and financially), and cause scabs, bruises and blisters. Due to the price and the pain, most people have settled for covering up their unwanted tattoos, or choose to just live with them.

Enter Alec Falkenham, a PhD student attending Dalhousie University, located in the quiet coastal city of Halifax, Nova Scotia in Canada. Falkenham had been working on his PhD thesis, which involved studying different ways to help heal the human heart after injuries. Eventually his interest in the human heart shifted to a potential side-project with a more commercially viable use: a tattoo removal cream.

Photo by James Discombe on Unsplash

Alec's tattoo removal cream was developed as an offshoot from the heart tissue repair research he had been conducting. In order to understand how the tattoo removal cream works, we need to take a quick look at how tattooing your skin works in the first place.

When you get a tattoo you are injecting ink through the epidermis (upper skin layer) directly into the dermis (tissue layer below the skin). This layer is full of blood, hair follicles, lymphatic vessels, macrophages (white blood cells), nerves and other structures. When the body detects the ink being injected into the dermis layer it has an immune response, which tells your body it needs to 'clean out' the dermis.

To clean out the system the macrophages in the dermis layer attack and trap the ink, encasing it. Once the ink has been encased by the macrophages, the body assumes the problem has been solved, and the macrophages remain in place. And that is an elementary explanation for how your body will hold on to your tribal armband forever.

With laser removal treatments, a beam of light energy is pulsed onto the skin, targeting your tattoo. The pulses of light energy, enter your skin where they are absorbed by the ink, causing them to heat up and become unstable. Once they are unstable the ink particles will break up, and the lymphatic system will carry them away. As mentioned earlier, this method can be both painful and expensive.

This is where Falkenham's cream comes in.

During Alec's study of the processes of how the heart heals, he worked on the drug as a side project. It started as a modification of a heart drug designed to increase the turnover of white blood cells (macrophages). Unlike the heart drug, Alec's tattoo removal cream works by being applied topically to the area of the tattoo.

Rather than overheating the macrophages, as with the laser treatment, the topical cream would attack the macrophages in the skin. Once the cells are broken open, the ink would be free to be carried away by the body. However, with Falkenham's method there will be no painful lasers involved, and potentially fewer treatments.

After developing the cream, Falkenham was approached Cipher Pharmaceuticals based in Ontario, Canada. In 2016 the PhD student and the company worked out an agreement for Cipher Pharmaceuticals to take over the licensing, and to create a topical cream for commercial production.

Unfortunately for those out there with a tattoo that they are just itching to get removed, the cream is still only in the pre-clinical trial stage of testing. As Cipher Pharmaceuticals has not prioritized this cream — much to our dismay — it may be another 10 to 15 years before clinical trials are complete (based on the standard time frame for clinical trials leading to FDA Approval).

Cipher Pharmaceuticals Product Pipeline: DTR-001 (Tattoo Removal Cream)

For the tattoo removal industry, Alec's tattoo cream will be a game changer. It will allow for an easy, affordable and pain free method of removing a tattoo.

It may also serve as a catalyst for those who have been on the fence about getting a tattoo to finally take the plunge. If you knew there was an affordable and painless option to have the tattoo removed, wouldn't you be less hesitant to get one?