Manhattan woman Kelsey Cowan is doing her part to help recovering cancer patients ease into the healing process by offering free paramedical tattoos that make them feel a little more like themselves.
“I don’t really have it in me to charge people for that,” Cowan said.
Not all shops “pay with a smile” for those who come in for permanent makeup or paramedical services due to cancer treatment, but Cowan made a point of making sure her shop, Vanity Ink Studios, would not charge. Vanity Ink Studios exclusively offers permanent makeup and paramedical tattooing.
What’s unique about Cowan is she doesn’t just offer permanent makeup brows and eyeliner — she trained under Canadian body artist Stacie-Rae Weir to create hyper-realistic areola tattoos, a type of paramedical tattooing.
Paramedical tattooing typically is done on scar tissue to camouflage scars, stretch marks, birthmarks, amputation sites, and other physical deformities. For those who have had mastectomies, where the entire breast, including the nipple, is removed, an areola tattoo can help them feel like their former selves before cancer entered their life.
“A mastectomy is an amputation; it’s not something they really could help. To be able to cap off that whole journey, put an end to it, and kind of restart their new life is just such an amazing feeling. To be able to do it is just awesome — and to have the skill to do it, because it’s definitely hard. It’s a realism tattoo,” Cowan noted.
The difficulty level varies, but Cowan explained the biggest challenge is tattooing on the scar tissue, which can have different textures. Cowan has been tattooing for 15 years, went to esthetician school, and completed the areola training.
Her talent is obvious — some images are so realistic that it’s mind-boggling to realize they are only 2D.
Cowan already has helped a handful of people regain their bodies with areola tattoos. She has several more scheduled in the coming months but wants to help more.
“That’s kind of why I wanted to start talking about it because not a lot of people know where to go for that,” Cowan continued.
The areola process requires a consultation and, on tattoo day, it takes about one-to-two hours to complete. Cowan said scar tissue shouldn’t be worked for longer than 20 minutes at a time, so most of the appointment time blocked off is for placement and to ensure the client is happy with the design.
People who know they will be going in for a mastectomy can bring in photographs of their old breasts, so Cowan has a reference, explaining it helps with color tone and other features of the areola.
Others can choose from “flash,” a pre-drawn image, or have something completely new drawn up.
Although insurance sometimes covers areola tattooing, Cowan explained that it is a reimbursement for most, where the insured pays for the service upfront.
Further, insurance typically only covers a fraction of the total cost. Cowan explained that a single areola tattoo can cost between $250 and $1,000, depending on the artist and location.
“The areola tattooing has been a whole other level because it’s something they couldn’t control. You’re diagnosed with cancer, it’s such an earth-shattering diagnosis, and then going through all the treatments and the surgeries,” Cowan explained that it’s an emotional journey, and she just wants to do her part to help.
Cancer also hits home, affecting a lot of people in Cowan’s life, with her aunt and Godmother having undergone breast cancer treatment and her grandparents having passed from cancer.
With Cowan’s personal experiences, offering these services just made sense — but she still has a business to run. So, she did what many people do: She turned to social media for support.
She created a “Spread the Love” bank account for her business, which empowered others, with hearts like hers, to pay for paramedical services for cancer patients.
The funds from that account are earmarked for this purpose only. This way, her business can stay afloat, and she can continue paying her artists, while offering free services.
“It’s just enough to cover the product and make sure we’re reimbursed at least a little bit. I want to spread it out as much as I can,” Cowan explained, noting significant overhead costs for running the shop, including everything from sanitizing and protective equipment, like gloves, to the ink and needles.
Cowan has another artist in the shop who offers paramedical tattooing and other artists who offer brow services — all of which are free to those recovering from cancer treatment.
People seemed to like the idea because, within three days, Cowan had amassed $10,000 in the account. The account will stay open to fund free services for any recovering cancer patient who requests them.
“It’s definitely very rewarding to be able to help people,” Cowan remarked.
Cowan already has participated in Pink Heals events and wants to continue helping cancer survivors with her free services.
Those wishing to see Cowan for a consultation or help her continue helping others should visit www.vanityinkstudios.com. They accept any amount of funds electronically via Venmo: @vanityinkspreadthelove.
More information about Vanity Ink Studios, the Spread the Love campaign, or its other cosmetic services may be found at vanityinkstudios.com.
Stephanie Irvine is a freelance reporter.