A tattoo shop in downtown Huntsville called CB Skin and Cosmetic Ink offers a specialized service to breast cancer survivors.
Certified artists, like Cheryl Brandt, can recreate the appearance of areolas and nipples using 3D hyper-realistic techniques for those who’ve undergone breast surgeries, like reconstruction.
“It’s a really incredible thing to do in order to give back and help a survivor feel whole again,” said Brandt, who is the owner of CB Skin and Cosmetic Ink and an experienced paramedical tattoo artist.
Brandt said this service is a way to restore the breast's natural look which can bring empowerment and healing to survivors.
"I believe in the transformative power of my work and the positive impact it can have on someone's confidence," she said.
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For her tattooing, Brandt applies colour theory to blend ink with a client’s skin tone and shade-match. She also offers scar camouflage/coverup and can transform radiation marker dots into freckles.
“You need to know a lot of things about the body and also what these survivors have gone through in these surgeries so they can get the best results,” she said.
The Canadian Cancer Society estimates that in 2024, 35,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer, accounting for 25 per cent of all new cancer cases in women.
Despite these high numbers, Brandt said Muskoka seems to lack resources and services for people who are diagnosed. Apart from connecting with Enliven Cancer Care Muskoka, she hasn’t found many avenues to connect with survivors.
Brandt said a lot of her clients have waited years before going for areola restoration tattoos, sometimes because of hesitation, and other times because they can’t find the services or have to travel for them.
Before she moved back to Huntsville two years ago, some of her clients were travelling to Toronto or further for restorative microneedling.
“It wasn’t something that was available in the area,” she said.
Now, Brandt's biggest challenge is marketing her work on areola restorative tattoos and getting the word out to potential clients about the services she offers.
“When you get into social media and things like that — because it is a realism work — oftentimes it gets flagged for being a real breast and real nipple or nudity and sexual content,” she said.
There is an appeal process on platforms like X, Instagram, Facebook, etc. but even with the appeals, her account could be deactivated. Brandt said her posts “follow the guidelines” because her work is “medical.”
Brandt can be reached at [email protected] or through her website.
Megan Hederson is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter covering Huntsville and Lake of Bays. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
