Woman spends £12,000 to learn how to tattoo new NIPPLES on her best friend after she lost part of her breasts to cancer
Andria Harris, 53, from Cardiff, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013
Her best friend Rachel Kennedy, 34, wanted to help her reclaim her body
Spent £12,000 training as a cosmetic tattooist to give her back her nipples the
A mother-of-four has given her best friend the present of a lifetime after her battle with breast cancer - a new pair of nipples.
Rachel Kennedy, 34, from Cardiff, South Wales, was determined to help friend Andria Harris when she lost part of her breast to the disease.
The hairdresser retrained as a cosmetic and paramedical tattooist so she could be the one to help her close pal reclaim her body.
Rachel spent £12,000 on classes and equipment in order to give Andria the new pair of nipples, following gruelling chemotherapy and surgery.
She said: 'It has made me appreciate what I have so much. We are such close friends and I feel privileged to have done this for her.
'When people ask me what is the best present you've ever given - I say a pair of nipples!'
Mother-of-two Andria, now 53, was diagnosed with aggressive Stage three breast cancer in 2013.
Rachel said: 'It was heartbreaking when Andria told me. She found a lump in her breast on Christmas day of all days.
'We have been best friends for 14 years. She is a mum just like me and it was so scary for her.'
Unable to simply stand by, Rachel decided to do something practical to give her friend a much-needed boost as she battled the disease.
'Andria felt robbed of her identity. Most of us take our breasts for granted until we are faced with losing them,' she explained.
'She was very self-conscious of her body and wouldn't get undressed. It was horrible seeing my bubbly, happy friend withdraw from life.'
So, Rachel trained as a cosmetic and paramedical tattooist. After Andria's eyelashes and eyebrows fell out, she first learnt how to ink the perfect brow and lash line.
And when Andria lost part of her nipple during surgery at University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, Rachel did not hesitate to offer her services.
'I told her it wasn't a problem and I could give her a new nipple,' she said.
The inking took three hours.
'It takes a lot of skill to tattoo a nipple, because women can be left with scar tissue or their skin can become very thin after treatment for cancer,' Rachel explained.
'It's very emotional too when they see the finished result. It's not just a physical thing.'
She now hopes to help other women who have undergone breast cancer surgery, after seeing what a boost it gave to Andria.
'Now it is my mission to help other women going through the same. It's a wonderful feeling helping to make someone feel beautiful again after their lives have been turned upside down from cancer,' she said.
Andria is now in remission and going for six-monthly check ups.
Describes Rachel as her 'saviour', she said: 'Words cannot say what a difference this made to me.'
WHAT IS A NIPPLE TATTOO?
According to theNHS: a nipple tattoo is the implantation of small amounts of pigment (dye) into the skin to create the colour of the nipple and areola (the brown area around the nipple).
The aim of nipple-areola tattoo is to give a colour match for the reconstructed nipple-areola that is as realistic as possible.
It can be used as an alternative, or in addition to, nipple reconstruction using tissue, a procedure which uses surrounding skin at the site to recreate another nipple.
There are risks of a nipple tattoo, including:
Bleeding - as with any procedure that punctures the skin.
Infection - this can be treated with antibiotics.
Scarring of the area if the scab doesn't heal properly.
Allergy to the pigment and/or local anaesthetic (a patch test can be carried out).
Colour- the colour may not be a perfect match. Colour spreading from the original position. Fading of the colour over time. Uneven pigment colour over the areola.
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