It is in her studio discreetly nestled at the end of a pretty tree-lined courtyard in the 11th arrondissement of Paris that Patricia, a professional make-up artist turned tattoo artist, creates the custom designs that will soon dress the bodies of her clients. With the tattoo, I discovered “what was going to be my support, my paper, my canvas”, explains Taratatou, named after her tattoo artist. About ten years ago, she was confronted for the first time with the case of a client who had undergone a mastectomy, or removal of the breast, following cancer.
“Of course, we are touched deep inside when a woman comes to see us, she tells us about her journey, everything she has suffered. We want to do something.”
Patricia, specialized tattoo artistat franceinfo
Very quickly, Patricia specialized in the recovery of scars. More and more women who have had recourse to breast reconstruction then pass through the door of the workshop. The youngest of Taratatou’s clients is in her thirties, the oldest is approaching 80 years old. “I don’t think her husband was too keen on her getting a tattoo.confides the taoueuse, amused. She really wanted to, she did it and she’s very happy.”
Often, women who come to see Patricia after a mastectomy have never considered getting a tattoo before. Today, it is certain oncologists themselves who direct women towards tattooing, notes the tattooist, which was not the case when she started. “It was not at all advised by the medical supervision, nor by the psychologists”, she recalls. It must be said that depending on the type of reconstruction, the scars are more or less important. If the breast is replaced by a prosthesis, the scar may be thin. But if it is a dorsal flap reconstruction, [une autogreffe d’une partie de muscle]she bars not only the breast but also half of the back. “So yes, we reconstructed a breast, but the breast is not showable”explains Patricia.
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For some women, cancer management has gone well. But “for many, it was a disaster”. Some of Patricia’s clients “even regret having been rebuilt”grafts that do not take, pain, the multiplication of interventions… “Not everyone heals wellexplains Patricia. It’s not necessarily the fault of the surgeon, there are people who make keloids, often black and mixed-race skin, sometimes the scar has stretched, widened, it’s not pretty. The only solution is the tattoo or the recovery of the scar, but it is not 100% guaranteed. And then often, when you’ve had surgery several times, you want it to stop. It’s still an obstacle course. We don’t talk about that much. Rebuilding takes time. That’s a lot of interventions (…) IUnfortunately, there is still a scar and women don’t want to see it anymore.”
When they come to the workshop, these women do not necessarily have a precise idea of their tattoo. What they want is for their mutilated bodies to become pretty to look at again. The first meeting serves to establish a “mutual trust”explains Patricia. “There is already this first passage where they will have to strip naked, show me their scars. I will take a picture of them. We talk for hours. Sometimes they come without any idea of a drawing. I show them what I have already done. I also show them pictures of women who have already been tattooed. Then I will draw the project and then send them the drawings.”
“I often say that I work a bit like a seamstress. I’m making a new suit.”
To help her clients project themselves, Patricia makes a stencil that she positions in the place that the tattoo will occupy. “Nothing is ever set in stone. I’m going to lay down the elements but I can add more. Everything can be transformedshe says. For me, the body is a wonderful canvas because it’s a living canvas. It’s not a canvas that’s going to hang on a wall and be seen by a small number of people. It is a canvas that will be seen by many people. And I love this idea that finally, all my works, all my paintings, will be exhibited in the summer in swimsuits. I find it very gratifying, even if, somehow, it’s difficult because we are still often on a tightrope. We must succeed in what we do, it is a duty even to be able to succeed in the project in which we have embarked.”
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Patricia admits to being sometimes “surprised at what we can achieve, because when we have people who arrive with really deep scars, with keloids, hollows, bumps, we have to extrapolate”, she explains. Its reward is the change in the way these women look at themselves.
“After the sessions, I can see that they are looking at each other with a completely transformed look. I see them smiling.”
It’s nice to finally be able to look at yourself in the mirror, not with a scar across it, but with a nice breast. He has his new outfit which magnifies him and we look at each other with pleasure. The women tell me that they are finally looking at them with a happy, joyful gaze, and that they are going to dare to show themselves in private. Because I have many who no longer dare to show themselves to their partner or to a new partner. At the end we kisssmiles Patricia. Sometimes we even laugh with joy or we cry with emotion. It’s very strong.”