WEST ALLIS — “My husband was shocked. I was speechless when I first saw them.”
That's Jean Blake talking about the first time she and her husband saw her new tattooed nipples and areolas. She received the tattoos after getting a double mastectomy and a battle with breast cancer. She beat cancer, by the way.
“I know it sounds crazy, but because of the 3D nature of the tattoo that she does, they literally look twistable. It’s insane," Blake said.
She got the tattoos in 2022, and on Friday, it was time for a touch-up by Zoe Braun, who owns Tiger Lily Collective in West Allis. Braun gave her the first tattoos.
“It’s a tattoo that just looks like a real areola, so first we map out get the symmetry and placement and size, and then I mix up a certain custom color blends like several different colors the areola, the nipple, the shadow,s the highlights," Braun said.
Braun specialises in work that can either remove scarring or reduce it and then camouflage the scar to blend in with the skin. She also tattoos permanent makeup, like eyeliner, eyebrows, freckles, or lip blush.
Watch the story to learn more about paramedical tattoos...
“It should just be like aging with a little bit more control and gracefully, and we can enhance and restore features that you are self-conscious about," Braun said.
Braun has given a few dozen areola tattoos in the past five years. For Blake, she said it felt like she regained a bit of her femininity.
“When you get out of the shower every time I got out of the shower, I would see nothing and it was like I felt like Barbie like a Barbie doll," Blake said.
Because of that restored sense of confidence, both Blake and Braun are hoping to spread awareness about these confidence-inspiring services.
“I’m on a mission to try to build the awareness that you don’t have to look like Barbie for the rest of your life," Blake said.
These tattoos can be for people who have any type of scars or skin grafts.
Sometimes insurance covers the tattoo. Otherwise, it can be about $500. However, Zoe said that once a month, she likes to give away one of these tattoo sessions to make it accessible for anyone to feel like their best self.
"Just don't want that to be a barrier to something that you shouldn't have to pay for, that should have been part of your treatment," Braun said.
To get the free service you can reach out to her on her website, Tiger Lilly Collective. Jean Blake also said she is open to having any conversations with people looking to get a similar paramedical tattoo. You can reach out to her at jjsneed2@yahoo.com.
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