A 3D tattoo, of the same type that is normally used for semi-permanent make-up, to redo the eyebrows, lip contours or eyeliner.
This is the solution tested at the Ca ‘Foncello Hospital in Treviso for the reconstruction of the breast areola on 169 women following mastectomy.
Minimally invasive dermopigmentation surgery, which allows post-operative reconstruction of the areola and nipple area of the breasts, restoring their original and harmonious appearance as well as their psychologically wellbeing which greatly helps patients in the acceptance process.
Another small battle won against breast cancer, which affects one in ten women every year in Italy.
The experience, which since 2010 has led to the current pool made up by the director of the Complex Operational Unit of Radiotherapy, Alessandro Gava; director of Breast Surgery Christian Rizzetto; director of Plastic Surgery, Giorgio Berna; and specifically the work of Rita Molinaro at the Treviso LILT (Italian League Against Cancer) who performed 309 interventions, published in the Annali magazine of the Istituto Superiore della Sanità, which followed the stages step by step.
The satisfaction questionnaires followed, which praised this new technique applied to medicine.
At Ca ‘Foncello in Treviso, these are carried out by an internationally renowned dermopigmentist.
It is she who inserted small color pigments under the top layer of the dermis of these women’s breasts, thus acquiring an appearance similar to that prior to their mastectomies (the removal of one and both breasts due to the presence of a tumor mass).
Dermopigmentationis a reconstruction technique permitting a harmonious and highly realistic aesthetic result.
It is not very invasive as it is done using a very thin needle, as with eyebrow reconstruction or to redesign the lips.
In Italy there are about 50,000 new cases of breast cancer every year.
About 35% of women affected by the disease undergo mastectomy surgery.
Following surgery, in practice comes breast reconstruction, which is an important moment in the psychological and social recovery of a woman battling breast cancer.
Numerous studies show that women who have undergone mastectomy operations continue to experience psychological discomfort even after some time and that the reconstruction of the areola-nipple complex is strictly correlated to the patient’s degree of satisfaction and to her acceptance of her own image, significantly boosting the reconstructive result.
A new scientific publication confirms: nipple areola tattoos are good for the psyche of women affected by breast disease; but hospitals today lack dermopigmentation staff.
A new scientific publication, published in December 2020 in the Annals of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS), reports the data collected on 169 patientsaffected by breast disease and undergoing (post-surgery) reconstruction via tattooing of the areola and nipple. This sheds new light on the need to find specialized dermopigmentation staff in public health facilities, to enrich the treatment service currently offered after mastectomy or partial breast removal.
There are scars that mark the end of a bad experience, while there are other scars that often start a long and painful healing process and that can hide key traits of femininity forever.
Between 2010 and 2016, 169 patients treated for breast cancer underwent dermopigmentation treatments (medical tattoo used as a complementary technique in the reconstruction of the areola and nipple) in the Treviso hospital thanks to a project carried out in collaboration with the local section of the Italian League Against Cancer (LILT).
This is what emerges from the article “Dermopigmentation of the nipple-areola complex in a dedicated breast cancer center, following the Treviso Hospital (Italy) LILT model” published in December 2020 in the Annals of the National Institute of Health (ISS).
From the data, it emerges that of the 169 patients, treated in a total of 309 sessions, 90% expressed a high level of satisfaction with the aesthetic results, considering the treatment very useful and beneficial.
The results of the study show that dermopigmentation of the areola-nipple complex is a safe approach that provides concrete benefits to patients.
Rita Molinaro, dermopigmenter, make-up artist and product manager in the cosmetic field, as well as one of the authors of the scientific article in question, has committed her life to the recognition of oncological dermopigmentation for women affected by breast disease.
For over 15 years, she has been collaborating with associations such as LILT and ANDOS, giving conferences and university lectures in Italy and abroad, and treating over 1,000 cancer patients.
“Tattoo or dermopigmentation for medical purposes is a non-surgical, simple and safe technique that is also and above all good for the psyche of women”, says Rita Molinaro, who continues, “I jealously guard the hundreds of messages of happiness and sincere gratitude from the women I have treated.”
Press release of January 30th, 2021
