Ever heard of getting your nipples tattooed? What about getting a tattoo of a nipple? Well, that’s exactly what’s being done in Maryland. Vinnie Myers is a very talented tattoo artist who is now helping breast cancer survivors regain something the cancer took away; their confidence, their femininity, and yes, their nipples.

Most mastectomies result in the nipples being removed. Reconstructive surgery provides the shape, but nipples are often not part of the process. The lack of nipples often leaves women feeling incomplete.

Vinnie’s job is to help regain that missing piece. Tattooing nipples in place is not anything new, but prior to Vinnie, other “tattooers” would “draw a circle where the nipple should be and color it in.” Vinnie wanted to make it look like a nipple. That is what it’s supposed to be, after all.

Vinnie uses multiple colors and two different tattoo machines, a shader, and a liner, to achieve a very realistic 3 dimensional nipple. After about an hour of lining, coloring, and shading, the nipples are complete and so is the woman is has tattooed.

Who would have thought…tattoos have the power to change the lives of breast cancer survivors. You can read the full story of Vinnie and his amazing nipple tattoos here http://articles.philly.com/2012-10-21/news/34629112_1_double-mastectomies-breast-cancer-marisa-weiss/5.