Tattoos for Survivors
Throughout the month of October, Herd Strategies has strived to provide a platform for stories of breast cancer survivors and share resources for survivors and their caregivers in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This week, we are amplifying a service that can be incredibly empowering for survivors during their recovery process: medical and mastectomy tattooing.
Breast cancer treatments and surgeries can result in significant physical changes. Some survivors consider their scars a badge of triumph and feel empowered by them; for others, however, these physical differences result in decreased confidence or difficulty being intimate. These survivors can turn to artistic or reconstructive tattooing, transforming a potential source of insecurity into a work of art.
Mastectomy tattooing gives survivors an opportunity to express themselves artistically. Flowers, lace, feathers, bright colors and pink ribbons cover chest scars with reminders of perseverance and courage. It can be freeing for some survivors to turn a source of pain into a visual celebration of their victory over breast cancer.
While some survivors enjoy the freedom and creativity of creating a personalized art piece on their bodies, others connect with medical tattoos. These reconstructive tattoos visually recreate anatomical aspects of the breast that might be absent or altered due to surgery. Artists can create 3D renditions of a survivor’s appearance pre-diagnosis. Unlike most tattoos, medical tattoos are not usually performed in a traditional tattoo parlor or shop; instead, they can be received in a hospital or doctor’s office. As a result, most insurance companies will cover the cost.
Whatever direction a survivor chooses, mastectomy and medical tattooing can be a freeing, empowering step in a breast cancer survivor’s recovery journey.
Local medical tattoo providers:
Amanda Cancilla: website, Instagram
Addison Edge: website, Instagram, Facebook
Studio C Ink: website, Instagram, Facebook
Hendricks Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery: website
