Radiotherapy tattoos

i am not happy with them but two i don’t see and the one in the middle i don’t look at, may consider a removal for it later, but try not to let it upset you too much. hugs

they are like the scars we get, tells our story and hopefully on of survival ️

Hi Horse Diva, I have 3 tiny tattoos not much bigger than about 1mm or the size of a full stop. To be honest the only one I can see is the one in the middle but even then I think it’s a freckle. You can have them removed/lasered but whether that would leave more of a noticeable scar I don’t know. Your breast care nurse or gp maybe able to help or perhaps there is a tattoo parlour that does removal. I would try not to worry about them too much as they are normally hidden by clothing and to be honest if anyone did see them I would doubt they would even know they are tattoos. It is something I guess that is personal and some peoples tattoos I think are not done so well making it more of an issue. Hope someone can help about possible removal for you. As a temporary measure have you tried a tiny bit of foundation? Maybe that would help make them less noticeable for you and help ease some of the hate/fear of them.  Like Djct says they are like scars we get, telling us a story. 
Wishing you all the best

Hugs from cuffcake x x x x x

I agree with the others. 2 you don’t see, 1 looks like a freckle. It’s so ordinary looking that medical students missed it examining me. They fade very fast, at first you see the chest one all the time, a year down the line, never think about it, 10 years down the line, never enters my head, don’t see it at all. You can get it removed too if you’d like to, I’m sure it would be very simple to do xx

I wish mine at the front looked like a freckle. It looks like a blackhead

i did ask BCN where in the area people got them removed, but I got short shrift, she made out I was the only person bothered. My solution has been to buy higher coverage bras and camis so I don’t see my ‘blackhead’.

Hi Raedd, I'm glad I'm not the only one who is bothered by them. I couldn't sleep last night and did some online research regarding them and it is a thing that detrimentally affects some women. I can't remember the percentage. I'll see if I can post the link to the article I read. Maybe in time I'll find them more acceptable. I will definitely look into having them removed eventually.

I’m really sorry yours bothers you, maybe they made it a bit larger, or maybe it’s still very new? Mine is quite old now. If I was bothered by mine I’d look at laser removal, I imagine having seen bigger tattoos treated it would be quite simple to remove. These things are so personal to us and one solution often doesn’t suit all ️

Hello Horse Diva,  I can honestly tell you that I was adamant about no tattoos.  I knew they were just very small dots but since I had to have radiation on both breasts I would have had quite a few dots.  I did have a meeting with my radiation oncologist prior to planning session and told him I did not want tattoos  and he agreed to temporary markings.  I think that should be offered or at least discussed.  
But I really think they will fade and in time will look more like a freckle or a little beauty mark.  I just wanted you to know that I understood how you felt.  I think we do focus on things that upset us but you are perfect.  Hugs to you.  

Hi, 

Personally mine don't really bother me but as has been said on here everything is very personal and what bothers one won't bother another. 
I do have laser treatment for hair removal (not related to cancer) and my therapist mentioned recently that she does tattoo removal for breast cancer patients for free.  I guess not all will but might be worth a ring around.  Good luck !  x

I think it’s a lot more common than maybe the NHS understand, because so many of us just feel we have no other choice. I went into my planning session with a bit of a phobia of tattoos. My 2 years of encounters with often heavily tattooed hospital staff has fortunately eased this a bit. I did enquire about temporary marks, but with a 3 week gap between planning and the start of treatment, and a plaster allergy, it wasn’t going to be feasibie. I also dislike the one in the middle of my chest although in reality it’s very small. If I wasn’t going through various horrible things thanks to being metastatic and having had various treatment complications, I would pursue laser removal. Nothing would get me into a tattoo parlour for it, but I know a lot of skin clinics offer the service. The NHS won’t remove them. 

Thank you for your positivity! Apologies for the late response. I have two more sessions of radio therapy to go - once my skin has recovered I will consider my options. ️