A small business owner in Shepperton who creates areola tattoos for those impacted by breast cancer free of charge has been nominated for an award.
Amanda Millan started her own aesthetics and skin clinic, Highbrow London, doing treatments such as tattooed eyebrows and hair removal about ten years ago, but has more recently been recognised for her areola tattoo skills.
When she was training she came across The Tata Foundation who run The Areola Training Academy, which teaches the skill of medical tattoos.
An areola tattoo is a paramedical procedure used to replicate the appearance of a nipple, usually done post-mastectomy.
Amanda now, alongside her regular treatments, does free areola tattoos for women at any stage of their breast cancer journey, and then The Tata Foundation matches and pays for another free one to be done.
As a result of her work she was nominated for an award at the UK Permanent Makeup Awards, which is a not-for-profit event that showcases upcoming artists in areas such as this.
Amanda said: “To be named a finalist for Areola & Medical Tattoo Artist of the Year was both humbling and incredibly exciting.
“While awards are always appreciated, the reason I offer these treatments is seeing the huge difference they can make to a client’s confidence and wellbeing”
Amanda Millan
Receiving one of these tattoos at any point in a breast cancer journey can be a difficult decision for a woman.
Amanda said: “I think they feel like they’ve been poked and prodded and had so many surgeries that even though technically this one is giving something back, I think they’re just done with it all.”
“They feel like they’ve had so much taken from them each step of the way, and then this is a first step to having something given back to them.
“Something that they choose to have done, rather than something they have to have done to save their life.”
Amanda also mentioned that a previous client had an appointment with a breast specialist, who thought they had had a nipple-sparing mastectomy, but they were actually tattoos.
She said: “It’s a step towards feeling like something for them, and no matter what their cancer journey is, even if they’ve been told they have incurable cancer, it’s still something that we can give to them.”
To find out more about the procedures they can get in touch with Highbrow London to discuss if further.
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