For many breast cancer survivors, the final step in feeling whole again can come in the form of a small but life-changing tattoo.
One Tasmanian beauty therapist is helping women reclaim their confidence by offering the specialised procedure free of charge.
For the past six years, Rachel Bellinger from Launceston has been providing free paramedical breast tattoos — using ink to create the appearance of areolae and nipples after breast reconstruction surgery.
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“I was already doing cosmetic tattooing — eyebrows, lips and a few other things — when I was studying a dermatology course,” Bellinger told 7NEWS.com.au.
“During one of the units in that course I had to watch a video of a doctor.
“He was an American doctor and he’d done a breast reconstruction surgery on a patient, and he was also tattooing the areolae and nipples on these patients.”
Seeing the impact the tattoos had on the patient, particularly after breast reconstruction following cancer treatment, sparked something in the therapist.
“She sat up, looked in the mirror and said, ‘I feel complete’,” Bellinger recalled.
“And it hit something in me and I thought, ‘I can do that’.”
Bellinger completed a course to gain the skills and qualifications needed to provide 3D tattoos.
After a year of initial training in oncology, wound healing and colour selection, the beauty therapist began offering the service to breast cancer survivors — free.
She started by reaching out to clients she knew had undergone breast cancer treatment and subsequent reconstruction surgery.
Through word of mouth, and by contacting surgeons, she has since helped close to 100 women.
Before the tattooing begins, Bellinger consults with each client and checks their surgery scars have fully healed — a process that can take about six months depending on the individual.
She uses body ink, which differs from the ink used for cosmetic tattooing, to ensure the nipple tattoos are permanent and won’t need touching up later down the track.
During the tattooing process, she adds details including montgomery glands — the small bumps on the areola — and uses shading to create a realistic, three-dimensional effect.
Bellinger said some women who have had breast cancer, but chose not to undergo breast reconstruction surgery, have still opted to have the tattoos done on their chest.
“Everyone is so different,” Bellinger added.
The 3D tattoos can cost up to $1,500 but Bellinger said offering the service for free was something she felt compelled to do to help women.
She explained one tattoo can take up to an hour and most women don’t feel anything due to the lack of sensation in the reconstructed breast.
Alongside the breast tattoos, Bellinger has also tattooed eyebrows for people with alopecia, which causes hair loss.
She has even created a 3D belly button tattoo for a client who underwent surgery on their stomach and had to have their belly button removed.
Bellinger said every woman has a different reason for choosing the tattoos.
“Some like to wear their scars because they’re proud of what they’ve been through and they’re out the other end,” Bellinger said.
“For some, the tattoos make them feel like a complete woman again.”
