A groundbreaking study from Dublin City University’s School of Psychology examines the therapeutic role of tattoos in helping cancer survivors reclaim their identities and restore their body confidence. Conducted with the insights of 22 tattoo artists from across the world, including the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Spain, and Ireland, the study revealed that therapeutic tattooing can significantly improve the mental and emotional well-being of those who have undergone cancer treatments.
The study, which surveyed tattoo artists who have collectively tattooed nearly 9,000 cancer survivors, highlights the psychological and emotional benefits of tattoos for people who have undergone aggressive cancer treatments. Many cancer treatments—such as chemotherapy, radiation, and surgeries like mastectomies—can leave lasting physical marks, including skin discoloration, scarring, and loss of body parts. These changes often disrupt the survivors’ body image, leaving them feeling disconnected from their own bodies.
The primary focus of the tattoo artists in the study was on breast cancer survivors, though they also worked with individuals who had survived ovarian, stomach, skin, and lung cancer. The most commonly performed tattoos were medical reconstructive nipple-areola tattoos, which help survivors regain a sense of normalcy and control over their appearance. One artist shared, “It’s crazy that something as small as two little 50-cent pieces as a tattoo could just absolutely change someone’s mental focus where they’re not staring at themselves in the mirror saying, ‘How can someone love me, how can someone look at me?’”
The study’s findings emphasized that therapeutic tattooing allows cancer survivors to regain agency over their bodies. Artists spoke of the empowerment that comes with the ability to choose how to represent their journey and their post-cancer identity. As one tattoo artist explained, “Choosing to get tattooed, choosing to change one’s body in that way, they become, like, more embodied, more whole, they can reclaim all the things that they feel like they lost, or reclaim body parts that look different.”
These tattoos, they noted, offer survivors a chance to reinvent themselves. The process of choosing a tattoo becomes a personal act of healing, allowing them to embrace their new identity in a way that is both meaningful and empowering. “They get to choose how they’re going to see themselves from then on,” one artist reflected.
However, the study also highlighted a potential danger: therapeutic tattoos, when done improperly, can retraumatize cancer survivors. If performed by untrained or unqualified professionals, these tattoos can cause further emotional harm, reopening the psychological wounds caused by cancer and its treatments. It is essential, the study’s authors stressed, that survivors are empowered to make informed decisions and seek out trained and experienced tattoo artists to ensure that the tattoos truly benefit their healing process.
Adam Daly, the lead author of the study, shared his personal motivation for the research. “This research came about because of my love for tattoos and my experiences of seeing just how much cancer can affect someone,” he said. “What we found indicates that tattoos can allow cancer survivors to feel more at home in their bodies, using different symbols to navigate their new and changing identities as cancer survivors.” Daly also emphasized the importance of dispelling stigma and misinformation about tattoos, noting that survivors should be given the freedom to make informed choices about their bodies.
Dr. Simon Dunne, Associate Professor of Psychology at Dublin City University and corresponding author of the study, underscored the significance of the research. “This important research sheds light on an understudied practice that can have a profound impact on cancer survivors’ lives: therapeutic tattoos. Although little is known about this practice by the general public and cancer survivors themselves, our research findings highlight that this practice is widespread, is often completed inadequately by untrained professionals but can have significant benefits to survivors’ esteem, identity, and body image if practiced correctly.”
The findings of this study shine a light on the healing potential of therapeutic tattoos for cancer survivors, demonstrating that, when performed by skilled professionals, they can help individuals reclaim their bodies and self-image after the trauma of cancer treatment. It also calls for more awareness and training within the tattoo industry to ensure that these tattoos are carried out safely and effectively.
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