I had a bilateral mx & immediate LD recon in Jan 2015. For lots of reasons I’ve chosen not to have nipple tattooing and am having a bespoke tattoo instead over the scarring. I’ve had the first appt (the tattoo is coming up from my hip & going across my chest in a vine/trailing leaf design) and all is great so far. Second appt is in Ocf & am just wondering if anyone has had anything similar & if so, how on earth I look after it post-tattoo in regard to protecting the tattoo with a bra on??
I am sure any other users who have had experience with this will be along to offer their support.
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Hi FizzB, thought I’d try a reply as you’ve had no others! Your tattoo sounds lovely. I’ve just had a 3D nipple and areola tattoo done earlier this week, very pleased with it. I’ve been able to wear a bra over it from the start, just advised to keep it dry and clean with a clean piece of gauze or tissue over the tattoo to prevent any rubbing. Then in a few days I can just wear a bra as normal. I’m going back for a “top up” in December, when I expect the same will apply again. Hope this helps? Good luck xx
I’ve had tattoo on my mx and it’s one of the best decisions I’ve every made. I had mx with expander implant and then later a silicone implant. I was always proud of my scars, but now they’re beautiful too. I didn’t have a nipple tattoo as my boobs are not symetrical and felt rather than make it look like a boob it would provide another reference point to show the imperfections as it is a bit wonky! lol Anyway, there are some things to consider which I found out along the way.
I had radiotherapy and had a lot of skin removed during the mx so that, coupled with the expander means the skin is very thin in places. I warned the tattooist, but even he was surprised. There are different tools, a lining tool and shading tool. He started with a lining tool, and normally would pass over the line 3 times, but due to the thin skin he couldn’t because as he did the line, the skin stayed open so used the shading tool for the line work as well. This means the edges aren’t as crisp as they would be elsewhere on your body. We also changed the colouring from block colour to a water colour effect which worked really well.
I went for a line/abstract type design with vines, leaves and butterflies as I didn’t want to hide the scars, just distract the eye from them and the lumps and bumps. It worked even better than I could have hoped and as the cancer had developed into skin cancer at the nipple, it means I can easily check the mx scar for any changes which could have been hidden.
Be prepared to need to go back a couple of times with a few weeks gap in between visits to see how it settles.
I call my mx boob, frankenboobie as it really does have a mind of it’s own if I move my pec muscle and I was self conscious wearing strappy tops, now I’m using communial changing rooms and wearing bikinis!
As for caring for it shortly after the tattoo, you need to keep it covered with clingfilm. I used micropore tape to hold it in place and don’t wear your best white bra for the first few days. I’m a vegetarian and apparently they tend to ‘leak’ more! It’s a little sore, but the bonus of the mx is alot of areas are numb
If you haven’t done so already, go for it and take back control! xxx
