An organisation which aims to help Australians affected by breast cancer by aiding their physical and emotional recovery will visit Wollongong.
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The Canberra-based Survivors Ink is a not-for-profit charity organisation, dedicated to providing breast cancer survivors with free, realistic 3D nipple tattooing.
The organisation will visit Crown Ink Tattoo Studios, Wollongong this weekend, where more than a dozen survivors will be tattooed by a Survivors Ink artist.
Survivors Ink director Michelle Lewis said unfortunately, cancer doesn't stop affecting lives at the completion of treatment.
She said many breast cancer survivors and their loved ones continue to experience both financial and emotional hardship as a result of their cancer treatment.
She said after surgery, most men and women are left without nipple(s), and in place of this, may have traumatic scars.
"We come in almost at the end of a breast cancer survivor's journey," Ms Lewis said.
"Nipples are not part of the reconstruction process, so after they've had the mastectomies and undergone reconstruction of their breasts, nipples are not part of the process.
"So they're left without nipples, or a very poorly reconstructed nipple from whatever tissue and skin was there."
Therefore, Ms Lewis said they offer a free 3D, realistic nipple tattoo that is permanent.
"They can have it done cosmetically, but that can cost up to $5000 and has to be redone roughly every two years," she said.
"Ours is using traditional tattoo inks and traditional techniques... It's just like a normal tattoo process.
"There's no sensation there because often it's a reconstructed breast, so not real tissue or nerves. And we size match, colour match and pigment match.
"And we make it to be viewed (from) about a metre away, so it looks like it's a 3D image. It's a flat tattoo, but it looks 3D.
"We get them to look in the mirror afterwards, and most of them cry, because they're so excited and happy, because they say they feel normal, or look normal again.
"Some of the biggest reactions we get are from men, because we offer the service to men as well. Some of them say, 'now I can go out and mow the lawn just like every other person in my street without a top on'."
Ms Lewis said the organisation travels throughout Australia to perform the service, and were booked out for Wollongong.