Tattoo Artists Help Breast Cancer Survivors Turn Scars Into Beauty

Mastectomy is the collective name for the procedures where a breast or part of it is removed to treat breast cancer. Here's how the survivors and tattoo artists strike back at the scars.

Tattoos can be used to mask the scars and missing nipples, aid in breast recreation surgery, and give what some consider a more pleasant appearance to areas of radical mastectomy. But the benefits are not only physical: tattoos are said to aid the patient psychologically, helping women feel like they're beautiful and back in control. The beauty and complexity of these tattoos can't be denied, nor the skill of the artists. After all, doing such large pieces of an irregularly shaped surface can't be easy.

Mastectomy tattoos are a growing new trend. The P.Ink (“Personal Ink”) project aims to help breast cancer survivors find tattoo artists that will help them get inked just the way they like. Many artists have joined the project, some of which (like David Allen and Shane Wallin) have their work featured in our post. Speaking of his experience to MyModernMet, Allen wrote "I'll never forget it. What was clinical became beautiful again... we turned sterile into sensual. We took back control."

This is also a beautiful example of how tattoos can have a positive impact on people's lives!

More info: p-ink.org | allentattoo.com (h/t: mymodernmet)