Imagine having someone burst into tears, give you a hug and say that you've changed her life for the better.

It's happened more than once to Brenda Whitlow and her daughter, Robin Hays. They're dermapigmentation therapists at The Aesthetic Center for Facial Plastic Surgery, directed by Dr. Richard Chaffoa. Put simply, they inject color into the skin.

"It's probably the only job I've ever had where I love getting up in the morning to come to work," says Robin who had her sights set on commercial interior design before following her mother's lead into the world of permanent cosmetics.

"Brenda has always given me an open road to take. I have ventured out and done my thing and eventually wound up coming back to work with her. We wanted to do something together and this something we both think is worthwhile."

Dermapigmentation is a form of tattooing that gained recognition in California back in the '40s when movie stars began clamoring for permanent lip, brow and eye definition, Brenda explains.

Today, similar techniques are used in both medical and cosmetic procedures - from areola reconstruction after mastectomies to non-surgical lip advancements that add a youthful fullness to aging lips.

"I like working with people, especially women," says Brenda, who has gravitated toward careers that help make the most of their appearance. (She is the former owner of Nails Beautiful and Studio 59.)

She got interested in permanent cosmetics when she saw the results of the procedure on a friend, who had her face done at Advanced Cosmetic Techniques, located in Birmingham's McCullough Medical Center.

"I took on look and said, "This is unbelievable," recalls Brenda, who drove down to have her face done - and was so impressed that she returned to the center for formal training. She served a one year internship under dermapigmentation therapist G.J. Normand, who pioneered many of the latest permanent cosmetic techniques.

That piqued Robins interest who also completed a year's internship at the center and still works at the center their three days a week. (Between them, the two women have performed more than 2,500 dermapigmentation procedures.)

"We eat, breath and sleep this business. I am the organizer; she is the business person."

-Robin Hays

Last February, Brenda established an Advanced Cosmetic Techniques office in Chattanooga; Robin joined her mother in July. On a typical day, they see five to eight clients with a wide range of needs.

Among them: allergy sufferers and contact lens wearers, who can't tolerate conventional make-up; people with limited hand movement, who find application difficult; people who have lost their eyebrows and eyelashes during 'chemotherapy'; people with scars, skin defects and sun spots; and active people, too busy to spend a lot of time applying cosmetics.

The first thing new clients ask is, "Will it look too harsh?" then "Is it going to hurt?" Brenda says. The answer to both is no. Most people don't find it painful. And procedures are done in two sessions so the client has more control.

"We understand what they are going through, because we have had it done ourselves," she points out. "It is a very bonding experience. We analyze their needs and their look. It's a situation where we are the artists (Robin actually has an art degree) and their face is a canvas. They tell us what they want."

Though mother and daughter usually work on different days, they handle their clients the same way. "We eat, breathe and sleep this business," Robins says. "I am the organizer; she is the business person. It's worked out great."

Brenda agrees. "Robin has been a delight to share this with."

The reward for both mother and daughter comes form being able to meet people's needs, to change the way they feel about themselves.

Brenda describes a patient who had gone through a windshield and lost skin pigment in her forehead due to scarring and dermabrasion. "We went in and added color to the white spots and made the scarred area almost invisible."

Then there was the Filipino woman who wouldn't wear her hair pulled back because a face-lift had left noticeable scars in front of her ears. "We colored the scars a skin tone and now she can pull her hair back."

Or the lady who had lost her eyebrows and lashes during chemotherapy and had them restored with an illusion of line color. "Now she can shower, go swimming or wipe her face and still have eyebrows."

"It's nice to be able to fulfill people's needs," Brenda says.

"When we know they are happy, it really makes our day."

What I like the most about Robin is that she listens to what I want and applies the make-up to my specifications. I don't want to look like the person next to me, I want to look like I have make-up on, without having to put it on. C.G. - Atlanta, GA

A cancer patient came in last year and said she is going through Chemo and has no hair, but still has eyebrows thanks to me. L.W. Chattanooga, TN