Scars are inevitable. Whether through surgeries or scrapes, most of us, throughout our lives, have collected a few along the way. And while scars are a sign of a healthy body working to repair an injury, they can also be a source of insecurity for a lot of people. Basma Hameed knows that feeling all too well. After a burn left her with a scar covering 40% of her face, she set on a journey to find a solution. What she has pioneered since then, is a first-of-its-kind scar camouflage treatment, frequented by the biggest names in Hollywood. Here, we speak about her journey, working with celebrities, and how social media aesthetics have influenced her work.

Can you tell me some of your background and how the clinic got started?

“I’m from Iraq. And we immigrated to Canada because I needed surgeries. I was burnt as a child when I was two years old. I suffered from third degree burns on half of my face. So I spent a good 10 years just having surgeries. But it got to a point where I wasn’t seeing results anymore. My burn was bright red. [By the time I was] 14, I a doctor said to me, ‘Basma, take your money, go on a vacation. We literally tried everything’. And for me, I was like, ‘What the hell? Yeah, what kind of answer is that?'”

Totally.

“At the same time, I [had been] playing around with makeup for so long—since I was super young. And I knew how to colour correct. So, that day when he told me that, I went home and I started doing research. I came across permanent makeup, and then that’s when the idea came to me. I was like, ‘Okay, well, you can do eyebrows, eyeliner, lips, permanent cosmetics. Why not do like foundation colour, but you put it into the scar.‘”

Good for you, to be able to turn such a negative experience into something positive. And to use skills you already had to create a solution. So how exactly does the treatment work? You said it’s permanent makeup—Is it similar to lip blushing or micro-bladed eyebrows?

Yes. So the thing is, with your lip blushing, or [typical permanent cosmetics] treatments, you’re working on healthy tissue. Healthy tissue will pick up and respond completely differently than scar tissue. Scars are very difficult to work with. They require more time. You really need a lot of experience to understand how to layer the pigment in the scar tissue without creating further damage. And that takes, again, years to have that understanding. For years, I practiced on myself! Now, I think, we’re 23 years in. So it’s been a very long time. And every year we’re learning more. We’re growing and becoming better.”

How long after a surgery, if there is a scar, do we have to wait before they could use your treatment?

“It depends. It’s case by case, but usually we make an assessment three months, post-op. We’ll take a look at it, see if they’re ready, and then we move forward. If not, and they need more time, we wait it out.”

You’ve worked with a ton of huge celebrities. Cardi B, Jordyn Woods, and Lili Reinhart have all posted about your clinic in Beverly Hills. Do you remember the first celebrity that you ever worked on?

“I don’t remember! What had happened was I started getting members of royal families before celebrities. I don’t even know how that worked, but it started to blow up with them. And then all of a sudden, everybody is kind of the same. They’re all just patients and we treat everyone the same. But honestly, I don’t even remember! But a lot of influencers, reality stars, anybody honestly—if you ever think, ‘Did they really have work done?’ The answer is yes. Everybody has work done. I don’t care what anybody says. Everybody has work done. It’s crazy.”

You also have a clinic in Toronto. Do you find that people are also coming to you for scars from elective surgeries? Or is it more for treatment from medical surgery? What do you find that the people are getting most often there?

“It’s both! [And across both clinics] there’s a shift, honestly. We went from BBL and body contouring scars. And now, we’re seeing a whole shift of removing silicone, you know, because everybody wants to be thin again. So we’re seeing now like less BBL scars and more scars from removing that. It’s the influence of social media— honestly, it’s crazy.”

For you, this business started out of necessity. It wasn’t obviously your intention to have a scar on your face. But now, like you just said, people are making a lot of elective changes to their body. I’m wondering how you feel seeing the evolution of why you started this, to what people are using your services for now?

“The purpose of this treatment to help people, for me, was always number one thing. Truthfully, I wanted to be a doctor, but I couldn’t sit still in school! But I always wanted to be able to help people. I just didn’t know how. So now, I’m offering a service, whether it’s BBL or it’s a car accidents scar, I can’t be the person to judge [anyone] for whatever their insecurity is. And I can’t put my pain on anybody or be like, ‘They’re not worthy of my treatment.’ Because we’re all on a journey. Some of us are suffering, you know, where you see it. And some of us are suffering internally. I don’t know what people are going through. So my goal is always to serve people in a way that makes their life better. That’s always been my goal.”

Learn more about Basma Hameed’s Clinic and treatments here.