A mother from the Isle of Wight has regained her confidence after receiving a realistic medical tattoo to replace her belly-button, which she lost following an operation.
Sarah Olive, from Rookley, had her belly-button removed six years ago during a hernia and tummy tuck operation. She had been considering a surgical procedure to recreate it but opted for a tattoo after seeing the work of artist Gemma Bowers.
Ms Bowers, who owns Gems Ink in Ryde, specialises in medical tattooing, including areola and scalp tattoos, scar camouflage, and now belly-buttons. She began this work after a friend asked her to tattoo her nipples following an operation.
Ms Olive said she had felt 'paranoid' that people would notice her missing belly-button and avoided wearing bikinis. 'Because it's something that everyone's got and it's sort of normal, I just didn't feel comfortable going on the beach or swimming in a bikini without one,' she explained.
The tattoo is so realistic that Ms Olive's son wanted 'to stick his finger in it'. She now plans to wear bikinis on holiday, saying the tattoo has given her confidence back.
Ms Bowers, who also co-owns an areola training academy and runs the Tata Foundation to help those who cannot afford treatment, said medical tattooing is 'really important for the self esteem of people and their mental health'.
