Unveiling beauty: Insight into being tattooed postmastectomy

Abstract

Background: It could be argued that mastectomy tattoos are being considered by some women in contemporary society as an alternative to breast reconstruction.Aim: To gain insight into the experience of "being" tattooed where breast(s) once occupied space, six women with mastectomy tattoos were interviewed.Methodology: The teachings of Gadamer's philosophical hermeneutics were engaged to better understand what it means "to be" tattooed postmastectomy.Results and Discussion: Discoveries include feeling sad and damaged postmastectomy, embodying the tattoo as a novel representation of self for women living without breast(s), and reclaiming power, control, and confidence in a way that is symbolically meaningful. Conclusion:Health care providers working with women diagnosed with breast cancer are invited to learn from women with mastectomy tattoos and to consider expanding discourse about care to include options beyond breast reconstruction.

The marked body: Exploring experiences of post-mastectomy scarring, body image and change through artistic tattooing

“…There was a powerful narrative in Anjana’s description of the degrading nature of breast cancer surgery and how transformative the artistic tattooing of the chest had been in providing a metaphoric guard against the pain of the past. These findings, illuminating the transformative outcomes of artistic tattooing, align with those of Eschler et al (2018) , Reid-de Jong (2022) and Strübel and Jones (2017) .…”

“…There is a corpus of research describing the negative emotional and psychological impacts of breast cancer mastectomy surgery and scarring and how that influences women’s body image and sense of self ( Brunet et al, 2022 ; Hopwood and Hopwood, 2019 ; Piot-Ziegler et al, 2010 ). An emerging research area has shown that artistically tattooing the post-mastectomy body has potential to positively influence or change that post-cancer embodied experience ( Reid-de Jong, 2022 ; Reid-de Jong and Bruce, 2020 ; Strübel and Jones, 2017 ). In an effort to contribute to that emerging area of interest, the current study aimed to explore how artistically tattooing mastectomy scars change how women perceive their post-cancer body and how women experienced their evolving self from these often confronting and highly medicalised experiences.…”

“…Nipple areola treatment, medical cosmetic tattooing of the areola, is offered to women as a final step in the breast reconstructive process and it remains in the domain of bio-medical treatment. Artistic tattooing may provide a means of concealment of the changed post-cancer chest and surgical scarring ( Reid-de Jong, 2022 ). Marking of the physical body with an artistic tattoo may also be a means of rebuilding agency outside of the medical treatment of cancer ( Kang and Jones, 2007 ; Reid-de Jong, 2022 ; Strübel and Jones, 2017 ).…”

“…Artistic tattooing may provide a means of concealment of the changed post-cancer chest and surgical scarring ( Reid-de Jong, 2022 ). Marking of the physical body with an artistic tattoo may also be a means of rebuilding agency outside of the medical treatment of cancer ( Kang and Jones, 2007 ; Reid-de Jong, 2022 ; Strübel and Jones, 2017 ). The designing and placement of a tattoo can return a sense of control over one’s body.…”

“…The designing and placement of a tattoo can return a sense of control over one’s body. Whilst tattooing of mastectomy scarring is an emerging area of research, findings indicate it can be experienced as transformative and restorative ( Reid-de Jong, 2022 ; Strübel and Jones, 2017 ). Dann and Callaghan (2019) emphasise the importance of the agentic space and personal meaning in tattoos, whereby women can explore and redefine their sense of self, communicated through the body and tattoo.…”