We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Nicole Rizzuto. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Nicole below.
Hi Nicole, thanks for joining us today. Can you recount a story of an unexpected problem you’ve faced along the way?
It came to my attention a growing problem of botched nipple tattoos being done on breast cancer survivors performed by untrained medical personnel.
My name is Nicole Rizzuto, an NBSTSA certified surgical technologist, seasoned artist and licensed tattoo artist that is bringing both the medical and art world together in my career. In my early age, I practiced body art tattooing in a private apprenticeship for a year. At that point I knew art was my number one passion.The start of my medical career came about due to my diagnosis of a rare kidney cancer at age 24. Going through two major surgeries, trying to save part of my kidney due to my young age and complications post-op, I eventually had my entire kidney removed. After a very long and painful recovery all I could do is focus on getting better in my health and becoming cancer-free. I know especially what it feels like to be in the patient role. This entire life changing experience inspired me to pursue a career in the operating room working with surgeons and medical personnel. I wanted to give back what I received as a patient from the medical team that helped me get through this fearful journey; multiple surgeries and thoughts of not being able to live a happy, healthy life.
My exposure to medical tattooing came about from conversations with surgeons who saw a need for post operative breast reconstruction nipple tattooing. It piqued my interest because I was able to combine my passion for art and medicine together. Everyone close to me gave a lot of encouragement since they all knew I was very talented in my art skills and my knowledge of the surgical field. was a team member for their surgeries, the beginning of their journey, and now I can provide them with the final step at the end of their path. As one of the last people that patients sees, I feel I can possibly bring a sense of wholeness and transformation to their lives. Art has the power to heal.
As I saw more survivors wanting artists nipple tattoos I discovered many of these women had already had tattooing done provided by their plastic surgeon or nurse in the office. The results were disastrous to say the least coming from a tattoo background. some tattoos done by medical staff looked like scratches of pigment in the skin, bullseye circles of odd colors. Nothing that resembles a natural nipple/areola. The worse of them had new scar formation from the heavy handed techniques in fragile skin such as a mastectomy site. Some women developed necrosis after a office tattoo, leaving permanent tissue loss as to where a nipple should be.
As a healthcare worker, we are taught ” If you see something, say something!” to prevent errors occurring. I took this to the heart with now my nipple tattooing career. I saw countless of women being harmed by their own doctors. Yet no now was speaking up about it. At least not in the medical world. A handful of Body tattoo artists were standing up and advocating for better quality for survivors. So I began talking more about the harm being done. Not just the obvious physical damage, but the deep emotional harm caused to a woman’s mental health.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
My own cancer experience gave me awareness of how it feels on the “other side” of the medical world. Being so frightened of dying, Relying on strangers to be your advocate and do everything they can to keep you alive. It’s the most humbling experience to have. Because of this, I wanted to help others who are afraid, be someone in their corner who is watching their back, so to speak. My heart was guided in be an advocate to those in need. I took this very seriously in my medical career. Speaking up in situations when some would be timid in fear of retaliation like speaking up to a aggressive surgeon or difficult manager. I did not care if I would be yelled at or questioned. I knew my responsibility was to that patient, not the manager or doctor.
Now as a medical tattoo artist that responsibility still follow me with my tattoo clients. I use social media as my soap box to speak up about the botched nipple tattoos plaguing the breast cancer community. I am going up against a giant that is the medical industry, calling out large facilities such as Memorial Sloan Kettering. I show the scarred tattoos left on these women bodies and the corrections I provide. I have interviewed survivors to tell their experience and the mental impact it had on them. Not everything should be wrapped in a pretty pink ribbon when it comes to breast cancer. I want the survivors to become aware that you have options for the tattoo, what questions to ask your tattoo provider and to make connections in the medical field for tattoo artists and surgeons to work together as a team to provide the best quality of care for Breast cancer survivors/previvors.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
The lesson I had to unlearn was that doctors don’t know everything. I held high respect to the surgeons I worked with. I have been alongside some of the most talented, well educated and compassionate men and women physicians in my 12 years. The dedication and responsibility of becoming a surgeon is one that not many would ever achieve. Their specialty is the human body and speaking to plastic surgeons they seemed to be the elite of knowing all. I was not aware that surgeons were performing nipple/areola tattoos until I started learning more about the breast reconstruction process from beginning to end. As a surgical tech, I am part of the major reconstruction process. I never saw the final steps such as nipple grafts or nipple tattooing. This was usually done in office. I was not aware that doctors are not required to get a tattoo license, that they are allowed to tattoo under their medical license. I was not aware that they have no hands on training once purchasing a tattoo machine and a set of needles and inks not meant for tattooing scars. They are not required to have artistic skills or drawing capabilities. They don’t have any fundamental training in body tattooing, understanding the science level of implanting pigment into skin, let alone scar tissue. So when I started seeing doctor tattoos I was perplexed in know they technically destroyed the skin so badly being plastic surgeons. Did they not understand how scar tissue can occur? Did they not know how to use settings on a machine or the right needle configuration for damaged skin? Basic tattoo aftercare?
NO! They know nothing about tattooing. So ignorant that one patient of theirs they scheduled and approved for a tattoo with me came in with a small open wound where the tattoo was going to be done. I brought the doctor in and showed him and stated “Well can’t you just tattoo around it?”. I felt like I was in another world. This surgeon, a highly educated person just told me to tattoo around an open wound on a surgical site.
The fact is that, besides being ignorant about tattooing, they don’t respect it as a specialty. That any moron can do this. And, yes, anyone can tattoo but doesn’t mean you should or have the results you want. It is obvious in their own work. What has upset me more is why they continue to do tattooing. Doctors offices can send insurances $2000-$5000 bill for doing the tattoos in house. No reputable tattoo artist would charge that amount for nipple tattoos. If the tattoos fade, which they often do, they have the patient come back and charge another $2000-$5000. The financial incentive keeps the problem going.
I realized that the doctors know nothing about tattooing nor do they have the time or interest in dedicating to learn properly in this specialty. I had to let go of seeking guidance from them and turn back to my tattoo peers and mentors for support. Now I have come onto my own confidence to speak up when tattoos are being done improperly, why it happens and how we can correct this. Doctors don’t know everything, especially tattooing.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.nmrtattoo.com
- Instagram: @nmr_medical_tattoo
Image Credits
NMR Tattoo, LLC