Derbyshire salon is launching new free tattoo service for breast cancer survivors

Cosmetic and beauty therapist Dawn Barlow, who works at Hair and Beauty at Slimming World, in Somercotes, is launching the service after being diagnosed with breast cancer and having a mastectomy in 2018.

And is offering one free treatment per month to those who may be struggling to afford cosmetic tattooing.

Dawn, 56, who has nearly 40 years of experience in the beauty industry, said: “I thought having reconstruction surgery would be the final piece of my journey.

"And while I was recovering well, I knew something wasn’t right – I just didn’t feel like myself.

"I’d lost my confidence and small things like looking in the mirror didn’t feel the same. Getting the tattoo changed everything for me. I felt complete and whole again – like me.”

The 3D nipple tattoos are real tattoos, applied with needles that insert pigment into the skin.

Dawn said: “My friend also went through treatment for breast cancer and felt the same way I did. Surviving cancer and learning to love your body again is a complicated process – so I thought anything I could do to help would be really rewarding.

“I had already been quite interested in cosmetic tattooing, so my friend’s experience as well as my own really gave me the push I needed.

“Getting a 3D tattoo is often expensive. A cancer diagnosis can take a toll on not only your body but other aspects of your life too, especially your finances.

“That’s why I’m really looking forward to launching this service at our salon. Deciding to have such treatments is a really personal choice, but I found it to be such a huge part of my healing process.

To find out more information about Hair and Beauty at Slimming World in Clover Nook Road, Somercotes, or to be considered for a free appointment call 01773 546382 or email [email protected] by Friday, February 25.