2024-03-19 12:06:07
In France, breast cancer affects nearly1 in 8 women. According to figures from the High Authority of Health, around 22,000 total mastectomies are carried out each year and 30% of patients then undertake breast reconstruction.
Reconnect with your body after breast surgery thanks to tattooing
Between the shock of the diagnosis, the difficulties linked to the disease and the side effects of the treatments, then finally, the operation… cancer leaves its marks. Psychological and physical. Whether it is a tumorectomie (remove the part where a malignant or benign tumor has been located), of a mastectomy (surgical operation which consists of removing, partially or completely one or both breasts), of a breast reconstruction (which consists of introducing a breast implant under the skin and the pectoral muscle to recreate the volume of the chest) the operations leave scars. If some women choose to assume them, others prefer them hide under a tattoo.
If it is a tattoo, the breast tattoo after a tumor has nothing to do with underboob tattoos (a strong woman tattoo trend). Moreover, most of these tattoos cover the breast or even completely encompass it, whether it is natural or reconstructed!
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Flowers tattooed with ink! Whether they are voluminous or more discreet, colorful or in black and white, gathered in a bouquet or fixed on a delicate branch… There is something for everyone! The ribbon, symbol of the fight against breast cancer, is also very popular, The designs evoking a rebirth… Pink, a color associated with femininity but also with the fight against this cancer, is one of the colors acclaimed.
In other cases, the tattoo is more discreet on the skin of the operated breast. Some women choose to simply have a nipple tattooed because they say they are embarrassed by the vision of their body where the nipple is no longer there. “Adding a tattoo allows these women to fully integrate their reconstructed, impersonal chest, by printing their signature on it”observes Catherine Adler-Tal, oncopsychologist and vice-president of the Etincelle Ile-de-France association, in an article from RoseUp Association devoted to the subject (Hope is in the skin, Rose Magazine).
Tattoo and breast cancer: precautions to take
Obviously, carrying out a tattoo on this fragile area – even more so after a tumor – requires precautions:
Wait a year for the scar to no longer develop. Choose your tattoo parlor carefully to reduce the risk of infection or allergy, or even opt for a parlor specializing in this type of tattoo to benefit from the tattooist’s expert advice.
What if there is a recurrence? If a new operation is necessary, the tattoo does not pose any particular problem but it risks being modified by the intervention. As for radiotherapy, until now there have been no studies on the subject.
Tattoos, tattoo artists and breast cancer
There are more and more associations bringing together affected women and tattoo artists. Among the pioneers, the American association Personal Ink (p.ink) connects women who have undergone surgery for this type of cancer and experienced tattoo artists who are used to tattoo over scars. The association highlights on its site (p.ink.org) proposals for tattoos carried out for women who have undergone partial or total removal of the chest. In France, there are similar associations like Soeur d’Encre (via its Rose Tattoo program) but you can also rely on experienced tattoo artists like Alexia Cassar (The Tétons Tattoo Shop), at the head of a 3D tattoo parlor dedicated to post-operation breast reconstruction…
Find in our slideshow the most beautiful artistic tattoo ideas after a mastectomy spotted on Pinterest.
[Dossier] Breast cancer, are we talking about it? – 19 articles to consult
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