ONCOLOGICAL AREOLA TATTOO, A TREATMENT CARRIED OUT IN THE DERMO-AESTHETIC NURSING CONSULTATION

Today, we all know how hard it is, especially for a woman, to diagnose a disease such as breast cancer.

Fortunately, medicine is advancing, and in recent years, this type of intervention, although still very aggressive, allows a reconstruction of the breast, to return to being in the most optimal conditions possible. All this is carried out thanks to the work of a multidisciplinary team.

Until recently, breast cancer was diagnosed, and a mastectomy was performed (in addition to chemotherapy and radiation treatments). Later, to the mastectomy intervention, the possibility of breast reconstruction was added (at first with breast expanders and prostheses, and now there is also the option, if indicated, of performing breast reconstruction with flaps, leaving breasts really very natural (this is done by the plastic surgeon), but, after this breast reconstruction, the breast was still unnatural, that is, something was missing, until, again, the plastic surgeons began to perform a small intervention to similar a nipple. Then we would find a new breast, with a new nipple, but something else was missing. An areola and also that it was pigmented.

Well, this is possible thanks to micropigmentation areola tattoo. Micropigmentation is a treatment that consists of the introduction of inorganic and mineral pigments (which is how it differs from tattoos) at the dermis level. These pigments are mineral, and have an approximate duration of one to four years (it depends mainly on the type of skin that is pigmented, the quality of the skin, care carried out for maintenance). With this, what is intended is a similar pigmented areola, and even redo the drawing of the nipple, similar to Montgómery tubercles, and hide the scars that remained after the surgery …

This technique will be carried out between four and six months from the last surgery performed on that breast. Two sessions are necessary, and the results are really satisfactory, if we take into account that the woman feels “herself” again and can look in the mirror again, recognising her own body.

It must be taken into account that, over time, the color fades, and it will be necessary to carry out revisions periodically (approximately every year and a half, or before the color disappears completely) but thanks to this technique the benefit, above all on a psychological level, it is very large.

Therefore, and as a conclusion, areola tattoo Perth is one more phase in the process of detection, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation against breast cancer. It is the last phase to be carried out, but it is no less important for that, and the benefit it brings is very high.

When we perform an areola tattoo, we must make an assessment of the person, the state of their skin, if it is intact or not, and if it is hydrated, and if there is or not areola in the other breast, and if there is color.

We will also record if that skin has been subjected to radiotherapy, since it is a factor that greatly influences when the pigment turns on. If that skin has undergone radiation therapy, it will most likely need more sessions for the color to turn on.

Once the pigmentation is done, it will be necessary to take a series of care of that skin to avoid infection, and to avoid rubbing, so that it has a correct healing. Do not forget that when pigmentation is carried out, a wound is produced, and that some care must be carried out, which is a nursing entity.

Fortunately, more and more nurses are dedicated to performing these treatments.

I show you an example of areola tattoo. This case that I show you is not immediately after pigmentation, but four months after the second micropigmentation session, so that you can see the results in the medium term.

I hope this post has been useful to you, if you need more information, have doubts, or want to pigment your areola, contact me, I will be happy to help you.