Mastectomy Tattoos

One of the leading forms of cancer today is breast cancer. Each year almost 200,000 new cases occur. Over 190,000 of these are women. At the same time, over 40,000 women die every year from their breast cancer. For the survivors, there are issues of self-esteem and healing that surround the loss of one or both breasts due to surgery.

There are variety of options for those who undergo breast cancer surgery. The one that most people will think of is reconstructive surgery. This is where breast implants are used to really form what looks like a natural breast. However for some there even issues of scarring or loss of nipple tissue that prevents this from seeming like a realistic option. Some women are interested in the idea of breast implants to begin with. With society much more comfortable with the idea of tattooed women, and a large pool of successful working female tattoo artist now in the world, a segment of the breast cancer survivor population is turning to tattoos to reclaim their bodies and bring about a positive feeling to their healing.

For some women that tattooing is meant to replace or restore a lifelike appearance. Most commonly these types of tattoos are simple illustrations of realistic nipples where they've lost that tissue. Other women choose to go in a more personal and fantastical realm, redrawing and redesigning their chests through art. These can include designs symbolic of breasts, designs that are meant to cover scarring, or the breast cancer survivor can choose to go in a completely different direction and have their artist draw whatever they want.

Getting a mastectomy tattoo following breast cancer surgery and treatment is not something that happens quickly. The body must recover from any physical surgery, and if chemotherapy has been involved, the immune system must also have time to recover and restore itself. If the woman has had reconstructive breast surgery that too must heal before any tattooing can occur.