Few diseases can ruin a woman’s perception of her own beauty quite like breast cancer. The disease is difficult to handle privately as it targets a very intimate, and often obvious, area of your body: your breasts. This also happens to be an area directly associated with beauty, femininity, and sexuality. So when your breasts are taken as a result of fighting cancer, that can do a number on a survivors’ self-perception and self-esteem. Well, these women are taking back their beauty in the most incredible way. With these beautiful tattoos over their surgical scars, 13 breast cancer survivors show off their newfound beauty and embrace that they survived this vicious disease.
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Tribal Tattoo
2 Spirit Tattoo
A symbol of strength, this tribal tattoo was a reminder to this woman that she is a powerful survivor.
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Pink Flower Tattoo
Pinterest
The national color for breast cancer awareness, pink, is shown off beautifully through this flowered tattoo. This tattoo represents unity, femininity, and strength.
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Phoenix Tattoo
Going Viral Post
One of our favorite pieces of symbolism is the phoenix. This powerful bird, often depicted as a creature made of fire, is the embodiment of rising from the ashes to start anew. What a beautiful reminder for a cancer survivor as they move on from the disease.
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Lace Bra Tattoo
Inked Mag
Following a double mastectomy, this woman could no longer wear her favorite lacy, black bra. She quickly resolved that with this amazing tat!
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Small Animal Tattoos
Yelp via Barbara B.
When she was left with two small scars after an emergency procedure, Barbara B. was embarrassed of her breast. She turned her two scars into two of her favorite animals to morph something sad into a beautiful reminder of life.
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Buddha Tattoo
Daily Star
After undergoing a double mastectomy to combat stage 3 breast cancer, Reina Castro got this gorgeous Buddha tattoo to feel “feminine again.”
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Butterfly Tattoo
The Frisky
Few things embody beauty more accurately than a colorful butterfly. This woman got a large, beautiful butterfly to cover her whole chest.
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Black and White Flowers
So Bad, So Good
This is one of our favorite tattoos of the bunch! These gorgeous black and white flowers were an elegant way for this woman to feel proud of her body again.
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Large Bird Tattoo
Mic
The details in this large bird tattoo are just beautiful. Taking over the entire span of this woman’s chest, this tattoo exudes a feeling of power that you can actually feel.
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Owl and Fire Tattoo
Facebook via Why We Ink
When Carrie George had a bilateral mastectomy in 2012, she decided to get this epic tattoo. The owl, leaves, and fireball all hold powerful meaning to her, and she now feels “a sense of peace in my chest that runs even deeper than the relief I feel having significantly reduced my risk of breast cancer.”
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Cherry Blossom Tattoo
Ravishly
The cherry blossom represents the fragility and beauty of life in Japanese culture, which is a beautiful message for a cancer survivor to keep with them forever.
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Colorful Flower Tattoo
Artist Autumn Tierney helped two-time breast cancer survivor Cari-Anne Higgins come up with this design to help her “celebrate survival and living her life to the fullest”.
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Inspirational Quote Tattoo
Facebook via. Personal Ink
Artist Rachelle Krischan brought her survivor to tears with her design done at P.nk Day in Milwaukee. You can see the powerful wings of a bird, as well as the quote, “Live Well, Laugh Often” tattooed across her chest. It’s this beautiful reaction that makes these tattoos so very special.
What do you think of these inspirational tattoos? Have you seen some gorgeous breast cancer tattoos? Share your favorites in the comments section below.
