WARNING: These images depict individuals suffering from breast cancer, and having undergone mastectomies. Some people may find them confronting.
A tattoo artist from Darwin has received nation-wide praise after posting pictures of her client’s double mastectomy tattoo art on Facebook.
Mim d’Abbs, a tattoo artist with more than 21 years of experience underneath her belt, was surprised when a breast cancer survivor requested a cover tattoo for her double mastectomy scars.
“I’ve had a lot of requests to tattoo over scars on stomachs,” d’Abbs told ABC.net, “[But] that was the first time I’ve had a request to do a post-operative double mastectomy.”
The client, Alyson Anderson, had undergone a double mastectomy after being diagnosed with breast cancer, and wanted to cover up the scars left from her operation.
“I was confident and wasn’t ashamed of the scars,” she said, “I just wanted them to look nicer.”
Her design, a lotus flower pseudo-bra cup, was drawn by hand by d’Abbs and tattooed on in a three and a half hour session.
“We drew the design on. We only had to draw it on once;” she said, “It sat beautifully and we were both pleased with it. It took a lot less time than I thought it would.”
Although painful, the process was an emotional one for both artist and client.
“It was probably the most emotional I’ve been about a tattoo,” she said, “I was very honoured to have the opportunity to make a difference to how somebody viewed themselves who had been dealt not such a great hand.”
The experience, however, was a positive for both parties. Alyson told the ABC that she loved her tattoo, and was proud of the reach her Facebook post garnered, and Mims has been inundated with requests for more post-mastectomy tattoos – and she’s happy to oblige.
“We are enhancing the individual on their terms. It’s very enriching on both sides,” said d’Abbs, “It’s definitely something I would like to keep doing for obvious reasons such as positivity.”
“As a woman, let’s face it, your femininity is important,” she said. “Women want a different option after reconstructive surgery that isn’t cosmetic tattooing or maybe they just want an opportunity to do something else with their bodies.”
“I think that people who have survived a battle like that should be able to whatever they bloody well want with their bodies.”
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