Breast cancer: 'My 3D nipple tattoo completes me'

A father-of-three who had cancerous breast tissue removed said he feels "complete" again after getting a realistic "3D" nipple tattoo.

Dave Talbot, 67, from Bristol, had the all-clear in 2017 but said his mastectomy left him feeling like "something was missing".

Until, that is, he heard about medical tattoos, and booked a session with award-winning tattooist Lucy Thompson, who specialises in post-cancer nipple designs.

"It was something I was concerned about – it's just nice having matching nipples again after all these years," said Mr Talbot.

Mr Talbot was showering when he discovered a lump on his chest in 2015.

He had lost both his mother and brother to cancer so knew he had to get it checked.

His GP said breast cancer was unlikely – it affects around 400 men in the UK every year – but sent him for a test.

The results showed that he had an aggressive form of the condition.

"Your first thought is, 'How long have I got?' because your attitude to cancer is, cancer is a death sentence," Mr Talbot said.

"Then frustration and anger were the other responses."

However, Mr Talbot's cancer had been caught early. He had chemotherapy and radiotherapy and then the mastectomy.

He was concerned about losing his nipple as soon as he heard he was having the operation.

"The option of having a nipple tattoo, I think even for women in those days, was fairly unheard of, so I never really gave it much thought," he said.

But when he did learn about nipple tattooing, he decided to pay a visit to Ms Thompson – who has completed over 1,000 similar tattoos.

She has even set up a charity – the Nipple Innovation Project – to help men and women in similar situations.

Mr Talbot now wants to raise awareness of male breast cancer and hopes he can encourage other men to ask for paramedical tattoos without feeling "embarrassed".

"Men like to be stoic but, if something changes in your body or you don't feel right and it does not improve within a couple of weeks, get it checked," he said.

"I feel complete now and I've got my body back looking the way it used to look."

Ms Thompson said the tattoos can help cancer survivors "reclaim their bodies".

"At the end of the day, it's a natural body part that we shouldn't feel shame over talking about," she said.

"To be able to see the transformation before my eyes – it's something truly special."

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