What to expect when seeking a nipple tattoo
The thought of getting a tattoo can sometimes feel daunting especially if you have never had one before. Receiving a post mastectomy decorative or medical tattoo from a trusted practitioner will be a much more personal and intimate experience than attending a public tattoo parlour to receive a traditional tattoo.
Any artist we recommend has been vetted by ourselves to ensure they are offering a safe and consistent service and you will be taken care of by them. We understand the psychological importance of this work and want to ensure you feel safe throughout the process.
Your artist is the best person to speak to to answer specific questions about your treatment, as some may work slightly different than others and they can help by asking you specific questions about your medical history which is useful for them to know about the type of surgeries and treatments you have had.
As a general rule, it’s best to wait one year after your final surgery on the area before being tattooed. This includes if you have had a surgical nipple protrusion created after your reconstructive surgery. It’s likely your surgeon will sign you off as healed after 3 months, whilst you are healed from a surgical perspective your skin is not ready to be tattooed. The scar tissue will still be healing internally, we need to allow the scar tissue to regenerate and be mature enough to be tattooed. White scar tissue is an indication of healed scar tissue, pink scar tissue indicates it is still healing.
You can apply topical serums such as Bio Oil which aids the healing of the scar, this can be worked into your daily routine and can help speed up the healing process.
Generally the 3D nipple tattoo process takes two sessions to complete. A large gap of 8-10 weeks is left in between both sessions to allow the fragile skin to fully heal before being tattooed for a second time.
The first session usually takes a little longer as the artist will spend time during the consultation discussing your medical history surrounding the area to be tattooed, creating a unique nipple shape that compliments your unique body shape and reconstruction and then of course the colour matching process. All of these things take time, your artist will check in with you at each stage to ensure you are happy with the shape and size of the tattoo.
Some people bring in images of nipple tattoos they like, photos of their old natural nipples or some people are happy to leave the design up to the artist! In unilateral cases where there is one nipple left the artist will create a mini portrait of the natural side to replicate what was taken on the reconstructed side to create balance and symmetry.
For bilateral cases you can discuss your options with your artist & even get a little creative with it if you’d like!
The tattoo process itself is rather quick. Due to the fragile scar tissue we cannot spend too long tattooing the area as we do not want to overwork the skin, this is why the treatment takes two sessions to complete. We learn a lot from seeing healed results, how the pigment has settled in the different types of skin and what we need to do to boost the colour to ensure we are giving you the best results possible and to ensure longevity of the tattoos.
It is advised against using pre numbing agents on the area to be tattooed, this is because numbing cream adds an extra layer of fluid in between the layers of skin and can cause issues with application, retention and healing. Your artist may have a numbing ointment that can be used to ease discomfort after the skin has been opened up after the first tattoo pass.
It is common for people to have little to no feeling when receiving a tattoo due to the reconstructive surgery they have had. In rare cases some people may feel the pain slightly, it is however a very manageable pain, this can be managed with breathing techniques and communicating with your artist how you are feeling or even taking paracetamol before your appointment.
Our artists use permanent pigments and traditional body art techniques, our tattoos are build to last however with all types of tattoos, they do fade slightly over time. For people with previous hospital tattoos the likelihood of your tattoos fading sooner than they should are more likely due to the skin commonly being overworked by Inexperienced practitioners. The tattoos we create are designed to be 3D, realistic and long lasting and in rare occasions May need a colour boost after 5-20 years, they may not at all. They will never completely fade away like hospital tattoos do! All tattoos eventually need a refresh after 10+ years, depending on your lifestyle, sun exposure, diet and scar tissue on the area.
We do our best to ensure we are offering the highest quality service possible, that are tattoos are 3D, realistic and long lasting to enable body confidence, a boost in self esteem and body autonomy.
Aftercare is kept simple by applying a second skin dressing, similar to what is used in hospitals on people with burns. This dressing is hypoallergenic and waterproof so your skin can still breath and you can still get washed with it on. This can be left on for 5-7 days so you don’t need to worry about changing dressings daily. It is the easiest and simplest way to take care of your tattoo and ensure it’s kept covered and protected during the first week of healing.
After you remove your dressing, you will need to clean your tattoo gently with kitchen roll and warm mildly soapy water then apply a thin layer of delicate aftercare cream 2-3 times a day for a minimum of 4 weeks after your tattoo. This will aid the external and internal healing process and mean you get the best results from your tattoo.
