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Breast cancer treatment changes so much more than what’s visible on the outside—it can impact how you see yourself, your body, and your identity. In this powerful interview, I’m joined by Tara Williamson, founder of Pink Ink Tattoo and breast cancer survivor, to talk about the often-overlooked side of healing: aesthetic recovery.
We’re diving into how tattooing can help patients reclaim their bodies, the emotional impact of seeing yourself again in the mirror, and why patient choice matters—down to the size, shape, and color of every detail.
This episode is a beautiful reminder that recovery after cancer goes beyond scar healing—it’s about restoring function, confidence, and identity.
Want to watch the episode instead?
Watch this week’s episode of TheOncoPT Podcast on our YouTube channel!
About Tara Williamson
Tara Williamson is a breast cancer survivor, nurse, entrepreneur, and fierce advocate for those on their own healing journeys. After facing her own diagnosis, she discovered a deeper purpose—helping others reclaim their confidence and wholeness. As the founder of Pink Ink Tattoo, she has transformed the lives of countless survivors through pioneering the art of areola tattooing. Beyond her work in restorative tattooing, Tara is a powerful voice for change, serving as a Co-Chair for the American Cancer Society and a policy change maker for Susan G. Komen, advocating for the rights and needs of breast cancer survivors. With raw honesty and unwavering hope, she shares her story to remind others that even in life’s hardest moments, there is strength, beauty, and purpose waiting to be found. Her expertise and advocacy have been featured in O, The Oprah Magazine, Allure Magazine, and leading cancer hospitals nationwide.
Follow Tara on Instagram: @Pink_Ink_Tattoo
Learn more about Pink Ink Tattoo.
Buy Tara’s book, Finding My Gift, Through My Breast Cancer Journey
Transcript
Elise Cantu (00:19)
Hey, OncoPT, and welcome back to this episode of the OncoPT Podcast. Now, as part of being an oncology physical therapist, we get to see a lot of really cool things in our practice. And one of the areas that I’m most interested in and that I really enjoy working with is after breast reconstruction. And getting to see patients go from the early stages of after a mastectomy, for example, going through the plastic surgery is incredible.
But I was really opened, my eyes were opened a few years ago when I had a patient who went through this process and she was kind of feeling a little so-so about her decision to undergo breast reconstruction. She just felt like it wasn’t the same for her. She didn’t really feel like the woman that she wanted to feel like until she had…
some temporary nipple and areola tattoos. And Tara, when I tell you, when this patient came into the clinic after wearing these for the first time, sauntered in and was like, look at these! The transformation was incredible. And ever since that day, I have really understood a little bit more of just how much the aesthetic side of things and those kind of finishing touches on a patient’s aesthetic journey after breast cancer is so, so important.
And so I’m so thrilled to welcome Tara Williamson onto the podcast today. Tara is the founder of Pink Ink Tattoo and is a fellow breast cancer survivor and is here to talk about a really, really cool project very close to her heart. Tara, welcome to the Onco PT Podcast.
Tara Williamson (01:58)
Thank you so much for having me. I’m honored to be here.
Elise Cantu (02:02)
Would you mind sharing a little bit about yourself for my listeners?
Tara Williamson (02:07)
Sure, absolutely. ⁓ When I was 39 years old, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I didn’t have any family history. I couldn’t feel a lump, but I had a mammogram because I had a fantastic primary physician that said, let’s start doing mammograms at 30. And I had a little bit larger, dense breasts, so she just wanted to get a baseline and wanted me to go back every couple of years. ⁓ I kind of skipped my last one. And when I went for my checkup,
Something in my gut just said, you know what, you need to schedule that mammogram. And when I went in for my annual checkup, she said, hey, Terry, you know, it’s been almost three years. I said, I know, I already have it scheduled, I’m going. And this time it just seemed a little bit different. I don’t know, you know, I just like something inside of you, you know. And I went that day, had it, got called back for, you know, an ultrasound. And then that’s when she called me immediately and said,
Elise Cantu (02:56)
Mm-hmm.
Tara Williamson (03:04)
Hey, I need you to go see a breast surgeon in Raleigh, North Carolina at one o’clock today. And I was like, wow. She said, your films probably won’t be ready, but I need you to go ahead and go. I’ve already spoken to the surgeon and everything. I said, all right, well, you know, I live right near it. I can go pick my films up. And she was like, no, or well, she said, yeah, okay, if you want, but no need to, you know, like I’ve already talked to her.
Elise Cantu (03:10)
Wow.
Tara Williamson (03:33)
But I said, all right, I mean, didn’t think it was a big deal. I went and picked him up and that was probably the worst thing I could have done because I am a nurse. And when I pulled him out of their envelope, I could read everything that was being said in the medical language and I was devastated. So we ended up going to the doctors and I just thought, this is crazy. They have me mixed up with somebody. Like I can’t feel this large, huge tumor. And my husband went with me.
Elise Cantu (03:40)
yeah.
Tara Williamson (04:02)
and he just said, let’s see what she has to say. And the breast surgeon was like, I can’t feel it either. Like, we’re gonna go over and do more mammograms. Seven hours later, a biopsy later, more tests, it came back positive. And so I was diagnosed at 39 with breast cancer, no family history and no genetic mutation. It just threw my life upside down as it does anyone diagnosed with cancer. So many of weeks,
Elise Cantu (04:13)
Wow. Wow.
Mm-hmm.
Tara Williamson (04:31)
kind of battling back and forth with my breast surgeon and my insurance company for what the treatment I wanted. And ⁓ I ended up having a lumpectomy, which was not my path that I wanted. And during that time, my dad got really sick and passed away. And my breast surgeon just called and said, listen, let’s just get it out of you and then we’ll fight for the insurance. I just felt like I didn’t have a voice.
So I said, right, you know, I’ve been fighting with her for six weeks ⁓ for a double mastectomy. And, you know, I cared for breast cancer patients and I had prayed about this and I just talked to my family. I knew what I wanted for me and what would be mentally, you know, the right decision for me, but it just wasn’t happening. So we went in, did the lumpectomy. She placed rods for radiation, which I didn’t want to do either. And when I woke up and…
Elise Cantu (05:18)
Mm-hmm.
Tara Williamson (05:27)
you know, got home, they called me and said, hey, we’re sorry, but it’s worse than we thought. Now it’s invasive. And I thought, you’ve got to be kidding me. And I think I found my voice in that moment because that’s unacceptable. You know, if you would have just listened to me instead of fighting for six weeks, we would be in a different state right now in that moment. And so I went in for my post-op and that’s basically what I told her. Like, if you can’t listen to me and what I want to do with my own body, I got to go. And, ⁓
Elise Cantu (05:36)
Yeah.
Tara Williamson (05:55)
Then she looked at me and said, I agree, let’s move forward. So we scheduled a double mastectomy. We did that May of 2012. And immediately, I had consulted with a plastic surgeon who was there the day of the mastectomy. And she did her part and then my plastic surgeon came in and he did his at the same time. So at that time in 2012, they didn’t do immediate reconstruction. It was more they place expanders under the tissue and under the muscle.
and put a little bit of saline in and kind of expand that muscle and tissue over a few months. So that’s what we did all summer long and then let it sit for a few. Yeah, and it’s tough. ⁓ I mean, it’s all tough, but just to even think about how that process works. And then ⁓ five days before Christmas, we went in and they kind of deflate them and then they remove the expanders and put implants in.
Elise Cantu (06:35)
Woof.
Tara Williamson (06:53)
So like a silicone or a gummy or saline. And then we had those implants put in and a few months later I went in because I was gonna have nipple reconstruction where they create the nipple but there’s no pigment or anything there. So we knew from the beginning we’re gonna do this and I went in, had that done and he did some fat grafting at the time. And at that post-op he said, hey, let’s talk about areola tattooing. And I went, what?
Elise Cantu (06:54)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Tara Williamson (07:22)
You gotta be kidding me. I’d never seen it. All the years of being a nurse, working in the medical field since I was 18, being a nurse since my 20s, taking care of breast cancer patients, I never heard of it. I didn’t learn about it. I’ve never seen it. And I thought, what an amazing gift to give us back. And I said, who’s the expert? I have to meet them. Who is it? And he, I mean, and it’s Raleigh, North Carolina. You’ve got the best of the best, you know.
Elise Cantu (07:25)
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Tara Williamson (07:49)
a lot of them here in this state. And I’m like, who is doing this? I’ll go anywhere. And I would have went anywhere in the country. And he said, I don’t know of an expert, but our nurse has been trained a couple of times. I was like, you know, I looked at her work and it basically was just putting color on. And I thought, God, you did such a fantastic job on reconstruction. Totally, you know, went beyond my expectation with giving me back. just, you know, the goal was to look good in your clothes.
Elise Cantu (07:56)
Mm-hmm.
Uh-huh.
Tara Williamson (08:18)
but to take off my clothes and be like, oh my gosh, this looks amazing. Thank you. You know, I have scars that go 21 inches across my chest, but the reconstruction was amazing. And the nipple reconstruction was fantastic. And then to have that as the final, I just thought, no. So I looked and looked and there was a couple of traditional tattoo artists that provided this back then. And I thought, you know, bless them. But I didn’t want to go to a tattoo shop. I mean, I’m not intimidated by that.
Elise Cantu (08:19)
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
Tara Williamson (08:48)
But these felt special, it felt different. I just wanted a celebration at the end of this whole nightmare. You seven surgeries I had in 14 months and I wanted it to be special. And there just was no one. So the nurse had been trained again by the time I was ready and I ended up having it done with her. Now the weekend before, you know, I was with my girlfriends and everybody’s excited. like, what color are you gonna make? What size? What color?
Elise Cantu (08:52)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Tara Williamson (09:15)
and just having all these ideas. And then that Monday when I went in there, it was nothing like that, which was so earth-breaking. She, you know, it was like three colors. You have bubblegum pink, chocolate brown, or nude. And I went, what? Are we gonna mix them? Do you have anything? And she’s like, well, no, this is areola color. No, I’m thinking that wasn’t mine. No. And then three sizes. You get small, medium, or large.
Elise Cantu (09:20)
⁓ that’s disappointing. Yeah.
Oof. Ooh.
Tara Williamson (09:41)
So, you know, I pick and then we go in a different room and it’s cold and she puts her music on and you know, you’re already so full of emotions and you’ve been through so much and you just want this to be like the last step, you know, the icing on the cake and it was just horrible and she got started and it was painful and I was like, have feeling like this is shocking because it was so numb and I told her, I’m like, hey, you know what?
Elise Cantu (10:03)
Mm-hmm.
Tara Williamson (10:11)
This is very painful. Like, can we use it? I’m a nurse, you’re a nurse. Let’s go for the lidocaine. She was like, no, we don’t use it. And you know what? Traditional tattoo artists don’t use lidocaine either. ⁓ And you shouldn’t feel anything. You had a double mastectomy. And I was like, well, then I’m a miracle because I feel everything. And I thought, this is unacceptable. I get what? And I literally almost got off that table with half a nipple because I just couldn’t. It was just so painful. ⁓ but then I’m thinking, how is she telling me like,
Elise Cantu (10:34)
Yeah.
Tara Williamson (10:40)
how I’m feeling and you know, I’m grown woman, I know exactly how I feel. So when I walked, you know, I finished and I was leaving that day and it’s like a hallway that’s dim lit and I walked through those doors and my plastic surgeon was standing there and he was like, what do you think? And I said, that’s unacceptable. Like I’m gonna go train with the best in the world and I’m coming back and doing this because we deserve the best. And he said, it. And like eight months later, I called him and said, hey.
Elise Cantu (10:45)
Right.
Good for you.
Good for you.
Tara Williamson (11:06)
I started my business called Pink Ink Tattoo. I’ve tattooed four women already. You know, da da da. He said, get in here. So I went in and he was so excited. He was like, we need a plan. I’m like, I have a plan. he said, and he was like, Tara, this is my office. Get in here and help women. And I was at his office for eight years, seeing women from all over the country. And then I was traveling to other plastic surgeons across my state of North Carolina.
Elise Cantu (11:18)
Way ahead of ya!
Tara Williamson (11:36)
And then it kind of went into Fort Worth, Texas. So out there, yes. I know, so out there for a few years and Mississippi. So I just started traveling to help women that couldn’t get to me and men. You know, would come to there. And so that was, I started Pink Ink Tattoo in 2014. And that’s kind of who I am and where I got started.
Elise Cantu (11:41)
Yes!
Mm-hmm.
was already excited to have this conversation, but knowing that you were like literally in my backyard makes me so excited. my gosh. Okay, Tara, there’s a lot to unpack here. Number one, I want to pull out something that you said and it was, know, breast reconstruction is a lot of times for a lot of people, it’s this, it’s kind of like the final step or maybe like close to one of the final steps as part of this journey that they’re on.
Tara Williamson (12:07)
I’ll back soon.
Elise Cantu (12:29)
where it’s really, and again, I think it’s pitched a lot of times as, know, so you can look good in your clothes, but you, it’s, that’s not, that’s not the end here because I think we really need to pivot from, a, as a bigger culture here, from looking good in your clothes to feeling good in your skin.
Tara Williamson (12:49)
I say that all the time. Ref, you deserve to feel good in your own skin, no matter who you are what you’re going through.
Elise Cantu (12:51)
Yes, yes, yes.
And it really did, you know, I know I mentioned this at the top of the episode, but she was my first patient, this patient of mine, she was my first patient that she went through breast cancer, ⁓ breast reconstruction. And she was like, I don’t think I would do this again. I don’t know if this was the right move for me. know, like I’m considering even taking them out because I’m just not happy with it. And even
Like I said, the temporary tattoos, because she was very much pondering like, where do I go from here kind of situation? And to see the start of, I just don’t know if this is the right decision. I’m not feeling good. One of the big things she told me is, I don’t have sex with my husband with the lights on anymore because I don’t want him to look at my body. And that was heartbreaking to hear. To then, again, like trialing those tattoos,
Tara Williamson (13:44)
You’re nuts.
Heartbreaking.
Elise Cantu (13:52)
She, I mean just full chest sauntering into that clinic and was like, look at these. And seeing that reclaiming of like, this is me, this is myself, this is me in my body and loving what I look like again and loving me, that was so powerful. Even as a physical therapist where I’m like, I’m not doing the tattooing, but to see the
Tara Williamson (14:10)
ME!
Elise Cantu (14:21)
quality of life change and the self-esteem and just the feeling good about stuff. And when you feel good about stuff, you’re more likely to go out and do more stuff, right? You know, I’m more likely to exercise if I feel good and you know, all these other things that we’re trying to get our patients to do. So dear listener, this is so, so crucial. And a lot of times this is not really talked about. This is not really a component of oncology, physical therapy that we think about a lot.
Tara Williamson (14:28)
Yeah. ⁓
Elise Cantu (14:49)
our patients are thinking about it and it’s important to them. ⁓ And so that’s why I said, yes, Tara, let’s get you on the podcast to talk about this. Now, I’d love to talk about a little bit more about your own tattoo experience. ⁓ I do not have any tattoos, Tara, but I went with my husband to a tattoo appointment and he got like a spritz. I don’t know if it was lidocaine. I wasn’t really paying attention. It was some kind of like, you know, anesthetic or pain relief or something.
It still hurts, but he got some semblance of pain management while doing that. And you had nothing? Well, okay. How did that experience then inform your work once you started with Pink Ink Tattoo?
Tara Williamson (15:38)
Well, I knew from the beginning when I walked out of that office that day, I was on a mission. I was going to offer this and have the most realistic areola to help give back to that woman or man that has lost it, whether disease or some kind of trauma. And I wanted it to not be painful, number one. So doing this over an 11 and a half years now, I tell you what, they sit in my chair and if they have any discomfort, we’re using lidocaine.
Elise Cantu (15:56)
Mm-hmm.
Tara Williamson (16:08)
and I’ll apply it as much as, you know, topical. And by the time you leave, zero. Like you’re not gonna have pain at all during, after it’s done. I’m not gonna, I don’t want you to have to go through that. And so for women and men that come and see me, you know, it is, they get to choose their colors. We’ll mix their colors to exactly what they want. Not what I want, what they want. And it literally is a celebration. It’s all about them.
Elise Cantu (16:14)
Mmm.
Mm-hmm.
Tara Williamson (16:36)
When I left my plastic surgeon’s office where I was in Raleigh for eight years, I only left because I opened up my own office. You I just got a little bit too busy and I needed my own space. So four and a half years ago, I opened up ⁓ Pink Ink Tattoo in Lewisburg, North Carolina. And so I don’t travel as much because people, you know, come from all over the world now here and what is so amazing, such a blessing. And they know when they come in.
Elise Cantu (16:45)
Right.
Mm-hmm.
Amazing.
Tara Williamson (17:03)
I mean, my office is more like a spa. It is just so comforting and welcoming and relaxing. It’s not a tattoo shop. is a medical office, but it doesn’t feel like a medical office. And when you come in, like I said, you’re gonna pick your own size, your own color, and I can help guide you, but ultimately it’s their decision. And then as soon as I start, if they have discomfort, it’s done. We’re gonna get that all knocked out quick so that you can enjoy this moment because…
Elise Cantu (17:11)
Mm-hmm.
Right.
Mm-hmm.
Tara Williamson (17:32)
For so many people, it is the last step or it’s a stepping stone to get to that final step. But you’re right, the confidence, the feeling whole again. I mean, I get to be a witness to it every day that I go to work. And it is such an honor because they come in and you know, a lot of women haven’t had tattoos or men. And so they’re intimidated by that whole word and then they don’t know what they’re coming into.
Elise Cantu (17:38)
Mm-hmm.
Absolutely, absolutely.
Tara Williamson (17:59)
Generally, we don’t have like a face-to-face consultation, especially if they live far away and they’re traveling. We’re going to do it all in one day. And so they’re coming in, meeting me for the first time and the whole experience of unknown. And then it’s a whole different experience because it’s a celebration and they can have as many people as they want in the room and they can do whatever they want to do because it’s about them. It’s not about me. I’m just there to provide this for them. But I tell you when they look in the mirror after they stand up,
Elise Cantu (18:24)
Mm-hmm.
Tara Williamson (18:30)
when we look in the mirror, it’s like everybody’s in tears most of the time because it’s just so overwhelming. I’ve tattooed women that have waited 22 years, 17, 10, five, and they’re like, I just, like, I didn’t think I deserved it or it wasn’t, you know, I was, I should have just been grateful for being alive and there was no one. And then when they look in the mirror, it’s just like,
Elise Cantu (18:42)
Wow.
Tara Williamson (18:59)
Why’d I wait so long? You know? And it just, my heart just is so overjoyed because I know how they feel. you know, is, there’s tears, but it’s tears of joy. And like, my God. And even just literally Friday, ⁓ last Friday, somebody, she traveled many, I think she came from Georgia and she was so nervous and she didn’t have tattoos. Her and her husband came up, spent the night and then came for the, appointment.
Elise Cantu (19:01)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Tara Williamson (19:28)
She was very nervous and when we were done and she was very, you know, shy and had kept her shoulders and just very, you know, just.
Elise Cantu (19:38)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Tara Williamson (19:42)
⁓ She used the word embarrassed and yes, because of the scars and her husband hadn’t seen her that many times. Well, after we tattooed, I swear to you, I’m not even lying. She stood up and looked at that mirror and it was like ear to ear smile and she turned sideways and got a side view and that was it. And she was just like, and then she did a shimmy at her husband.
Elise Cantu (19:46)
Yum.
Tara Williamson (20:12)
My office has had many shimmies happen in a year. I’m like, I feel like I said, like, you’re back. And she’s like, yeah, I’m back.
Elise Cantu (20:15)
Oh my God, I love that so much.
Yes, ⁓ my gosh.
Tara Williamson (20:26)
I mean, it gives me goosebumps talking about it because it is the best. Yeah. And then the amazing, just a little bit of color. And you know, a lot of women are like, you do scar camouflage. Let’s do that too while I’m there. And of course, you know, if that’s what they want, we will do it. You know, if everything’s right and we’re able to do it. But I do tell them, once you have the tattooing, the areola and 3D nipple, once you look in the mirror, your eye naturally goes straight there and those scars just kind of fade away.
Elise Cantu (20:27)
That’s one of the best.
Totally, right.
Tara Williamson (20:55)
And I tell you,
I have probably not done scar camo on more women than I have. Only because when I say that to them, and for me, it’s not about the bottom dollar, it’s about the purpose and why I do what I do. And so when they look in the mirror and then they’re like, my gosh, my gosh, and I’m like, you can’t even see your scars, right? And they’re like, I didn’t even think about my scars. Didn’t even see them. Yeah.
Elise Cantu (21:19)
I didn’t even, didn’t even notice him. my gosh.
my gosh. That is so, so cool. ⁓ Again, just that before and after, like that transformation of, ⁓ that just makes my heart so happy.
Tara Williamson (21:28)
Yeah,
and
You know, as a survivor myself that went through this and lost everything as well, you know, the whole time I was doing expanders and waiting for my surgeries, there’s many a time, and my husband and I have been together since we were really young. And I mean, we just celebrated 30 years, so a long time. And I remember testing him and, you know, I admit this probably isn’t the best for everybody, but for me, this is what I needed to do. I would hear him coming down the hall and I would be standing there without a shirt on.
Elise Cantu (21:50)
Mm-hmm.
wonderful.
Tara Williamson (22:06)
and I would just stand there and wait for him. And if he walked in and looked at me with any kind of look, I was ready just to say, pack your stuff and get out. And I know that’s terrible, but that was like, had, I just, that’s what I had to do for me. And he never did, he’s still here. And so, but to me, I just felt like a mannequin. Like there was nothing. I didn’t feel like Tara. I didn’t feel like myself. It was bizarre look.
Elise Cantu (22:21)
Yeah. Yeah.
Yes. Yes. Yeah.
Tara Williamson (22:33)
And I’m not
disrespecting anybody that chooses not to do the tattooing. I respect everyone’s decision. But for me personally, when I looked in that mirror, the first thing I thought was cancer, disease, death, I’m alive, my God. You know, was just all the negative started pouring in and I didn’t want that. I just wanted to, I mean, I have three kids at home then and I just wanted to get back to close as normal as possible and live my life and raise my kids and move forward.
Elise Cantu (22:37)
Of course, of course.
Mm-hmm.
Tara Williamson (23:02)
not live in the cancer world, which here I find myself 13 years later, I am in the cancer world. It’s all positive. I mean, you know, they’re very different.
Elise Cantu (23:11)
Right, right. Very different, very different cancer,
I guess, immersion at that point. Let me ask you, Tara. So you mentioned that when you went and had your tattoos initially done, it was three colors, three sizes, and that was it. And we know that bodies come in all shapes and sizes, including nipples and areolas. I feel like that’s a very, I don’t know who came up with that.
But obviously not someone had never seen more than I guess three nipples and areolas in their lifetime if that’s what they were thinking. But what a way to put a person in a box after already going through. We know cancer treatment for the most part is very regimented. Like, okay, you have this diagnosis, this stage, this is your plan. And there is a little flexibility, but for the most part, it’s kind of like, okay, here’s the plan. And there’s a lot of, I think, loss of control during this.
cancer treatment journey that people are on. And I think that experience that you had, unfortunately, is just another way of siloing people into predetermined boxes or paths. So when you were curating your experience for your clients, how did you come up with the variety of shapes and sizes and colors that you’re now doing today?
Tara Williamson (24:35)
because their voice deserves to be heard and it’s about them not me. And like you said, we’re more than just three colors. And so I knew I wanted ink that I could mix together, formulated in the USA, gamma sterilized, like the best of the best. I wanted women to be able to choose, you know, not every, you can have too dark skin, too light skin.
The nipple is still gonna be different. Not everybody, it’s not cookie cutter. So I want them to be able to express, sometimes they bring me photos and we just mix it until that’s what they want or we’ll work it out together on exactly the color that they want. But I knew from the beginning, know, no pain, realistic, make them look the best they can. And I really honestly got to give it to God because I’m a nurse. I’ve been in the medical field my whole life.
Elise Cantu (25:04)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Tara Williamson (25:30)
I wasn’t running around doing art and drawing photos and stuff. That wasn’t where I was the medical part of the world. And I feel like I was just gifted this gift to be able to provide for other survivors and everyone in need. And I don’t take that for granted at all. I’m so grateful that, you know, I was able to recognize a need and fulfill it the best I can. So pioneering this industry with
Elise Cantu (25:39)
Mm-hmm.
Tara Williamson (25:59)
We’re gonna have options in color. We’re gonna have options in sizes. Your voice is gonna be the one that determines it, not mine or somebody else. It’s gonna be you. And that’s how it should be. should be. Because you’re right. We lose our voice in this whole ⁓ cancer diagnosis and everything kind of speeds pretty quickly. Like you gotta make a decision. You’ve gotta get to this. You’ve got to go here. Now you’re in PT. You’re doing, there’s all these things that you have to do.
Elise Cantu (26:09)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Tara Williamson (26:27)
and it’s kind of a timely matter, whether it’s chemotherapy, radiation, everything. So when you finally get to take a breath and say, okay, now I get to choose, my voice is being heard, that’s what it should be. That’s how it should be.
Elise Cantu (26:30)
Right.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah. Let me ask you a clinical question, Tara. So tattoos, I understand, because again, I have not had one myself. They kind of range in pain intensity. Some areas aren’t so bad. Some areas are a little more intense. And for many of my patients, they do lose some degree of sensation in their chest after ⁓ like breast surgery, whether that’s the mastectomy, breast reconstruction, all of the above whatnot.
Tara Williamson (26:59)
yeah.
Elise Cantu (27:08)
But you mentioned that your experience, it was very painful for you to get those tattoos on your chest. So I’m curious, because again, I don’t know. We know that sometimes the nerves are like waking up or maybe they’re still kind of numb to everything. Is pain a common issue for people who are getting nipple and areola tattooing after breast cancer surgeries?
Tara Williamson (27:35)
Everyone is so different and I can see 10 women, say I see eight women in one day, 50 % might have a little bit of sensitivity. The other 50, 25 % of that might be hypersensitive where I mean, and there’s a lot of emotion that goes with that too. So a lot of us, like before I even touch the skin sometimes, they’re like, woo! And I haven’t even, but it’s just.
Elise Cantu (27:37)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Right. That’s a good point.
Tara Williamson (28:03)
that whole area has just had so much. yep. for sure. 100%. So, but I’m not taken away because I was the one that was hypersensitive. And she’s like, all your nerves are being cut. You should feel nothing. I’m like, I’m a miracle. But I mean, I know what I feel, but there’s plenty of women, it’s still very numb and there’s no feeling at all. Some have a little bit.
Elise Cantu (28:04)
Right, right. Yeah, and that mind-body connection, like you mentioned too, I think that’s a big factor. Absolutely, absolutely.
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Tara Williamson (28:31)
And the odd thing is sometimes women, especially if they’ve had like a tram flap that where they pull the muscle from the back and the implant, they can feel it in the back. So it’s very interesting where your nerves have all been moved. And some people can feel it like high and there’s like up high in their chest, sternum area, not where I’m actually tattooing. So it’s so interesting to, yeah.
Elise Cantu (28:31)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
⁓ mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm. Yeah. That is really interesting. Huh,
huh. Learned something new, did not know that. What kind of, you know, I know you’re doing this for both men and women after different experiences, what kind of breast reconstruction approaches are you able to tattoo on? So in my practice, I see a lot of patients after DIEP flap reconstruction.
Tara Williamson (29:01)
I know.
Elise Cantu (29:22)
and implant reconstruction. What are you seeing?
Tara Williamson (29:26)
Everyone. Even women that have not, have chosen or cannot have reconstruction. So flat. And you know, that’s really interesting because I probably get ⁓ an email or a phone call once a week. I’m not even kidding. Probably once a week from someone that chose to explant or chose not to do reconstruction. And they’re like, you know, I’m reaching out because do you know of someone that does like a chess piece? Because I think that’s what I need.
Elise Cantu (29:27)
Okay.
Mm-hmm. Yes.
Mm-hmm.
Tara Williamson (29:55)
And then we’ll have that conversation like, you you still can do nipples. Well, I know, but I don’t have reconstruction. I’m like, you can still, and it gives that peekaboo if you decide to move forward with like an IV or chest piece. And then it changed it like it’s a different perspective. And they’re like, I didn’t even think about that. I just thought if I didn’t do reconstruction, I can’t do nipple tattoo. No, no, no, no, no, no. So that misconception needs to be changed because just because you don’t or can’t have
Elise Cantu (29:59)
Mm-hmm.
Mmm! Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Tara Williamson (30:24)
implants or do the reconstruction doesn’t mean you don’t deserve to have nipples too. If you want them, you know, I think they just feel like or have been told, you know, you can’t see much, just get a chest piece put on. And so many women I ended up tattooing didn’t even move for that second, you know, to go get that because they felt good and confident and them and you know, with just doing that. yeah, absolutely. I see everyone that’s and the thing is I think with my medical background,
Elise Cantu (30:25)
Mm-hmm.
Right.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah. That’s cool.
Mm-hmm.
Tara Williamson (30:53)
It really puts it in perspective as far as like compromised tissue or signs and symptoms of infection. There’s been just a couple of times over the past 11 years where they’ve come, like they’re like, I’m ready. Even their doctor released them, but hadn’t seen them maybe in six weeks. And then they get in my office and I’m like, that looks pretty red. It looks pretty angry. Have you talked to him about it? Well, it just started a few days ago. And I’m like, you know what? Let’s just hold on. You go speak to him or her, your plastic surgeon and let’s
Elise Cantu (31:12)
Mmm. Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Tara Williamson (31:23)
Cause I don’t want to do anything that’s gonna, you know, wake something up, aggravate. And sure enough, you know, we’ve had to ⁓ wait and let her get like on a round of antibiotics and get, so, but if I didn’t have that knowledge, would I’ve known, do you know what I mean? So I’m thankful for my background, definitely. And I specialize in wool care nursing, so.
Elise Cantu (31:26)
Absolutely.
Mm-hmm.
Right, right. That’s a good point.
So, okay,
so yeah, so this is right up your alley anyways. Let me ask you another question related to that, Tara. So, you know, many of our patients will go through radiation therapy as well. What’s kind of like the safety parameters you have to be aware of when that tissue has been radiated when it comes to also doing tattoos on that?
Tara Williamson (31:49)
I mean.
Well, I go by what their doctor. So when their doctor releases them and says, you’re ready, then that’s when, of course, like I just said, if I see them and something’s going on. But typically they don’t release them until they’ve been fully healed, allowed that skin to really get stronger, ⁓ not tougher, but more durable and able to receive that tattoo. ⁓ What I tell them though,
Elise Cantu (32:10)
Mm-hmm.
Totally.
Tara Williamson (32:34)
because they’re gonna, through this whole thing and the aftercare using antibiotics and ointment and stuff like that, I just go ⁓ extra on the radiated side. So because it has a tendency to maybe fade a little bit faster or peel and so you just wanna give that a little extra TLC for sure.
Elise Cantu (32:38)
Mm-hmm.
There you go.
Nice. And then one last kind of like logistics question on this. So again, I don’t have tattoos. I don’t know a lot about this. For patients who have implants, how are you making sure that you’re really, really safe when it comes to like implants under the skin? Does that make sense?
Tara Williamson (33:15)
And are you talking about like, can they be ruptured? Yes. Absolutely. Which is, you know what? It’s a very common, especially for women or men that have never had, not men, but women that have never had a tattoo. They’re like, my gosh, is this needle gonna bust it? Because I don’t have any fatty tissue there. Like it’s scary. No, the needles literally are not even as thick as a nickel. So.
Elise Cantu (33:19)
Yes, that’s the underlying question I want to ask. Yeah, yeah.
Right. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah.
Tara Williamson (33:43)
If you can imagine how thick a nickel is, that’s how deep it’s just penetrating the first few layers of skin and depositing that ink. And then, yeah, so no chance at all. Whether it’s above the muscle, below the muscle, you’re safe.
Elise Cantu (33:48)
Nice.
Mm-hmm.
Love it. Okay. I know if I was asking the question, there’s someone else out there who’s like, move. But we’re good. ⁓ Now, Ray, I’m sure this is one of your like onboarding questions you get all the time. So Tara, you have written a book about a lot of this stuff that we’ve talked about in today’s conversation and more. Will you tell us a little bit about your book?
Tara Williamson (34:04)
for sure. Yeah. It has been asked many times.
Absolutely. I’ll show you a little picture. So of course over the time, in meeting so many women and doing, you know, I’m a co-chair with American Cancer Society. I am a policy change maker with Susan G. Komen, just got back from Washington DC, where I also introduced my bill, the Tara Williamson bill, literally focusing on areola tattooing. So hopefully, you know, that’s…
Elise Cantu (34:26)
Yay. ⁓ my gosh. It looks so good.
standing.
⁓ my god, how cool is that?
Tara Williamson (34:52)
I hope it gets on the floor and gets passed. That would be amazing for us. But over all this time and being involved in the community so much, know, people have said, my gosh, you should write a book. And that really isn’t me. I’ve never, so I thought. have never just been that, you know, words are hard and I say this all the time. They’re hard to speak. They’re hard to write. Words are just hard. And I don’t know, about a year ago,
Elise Cantu (35:08)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Tara Williamson (35:20)
I looked at my son who works with me, does a lot of my business and marketing. I said, Alex, know, I think I’m gonna write that book. And he was like, do it, mom. And so I did. And it took me, you know, I had to step back. There’s a couple of chapters that just kind of brought me right back to that, those moments in life. And I was like, woo, I’ve got to take a step back and regroup and get it together. and I did. And then when it was finished, I just could not believe that
Elise Cantu (35:39)
Yeah.
Tara Williamson (35:50)
It was done and it’s got some really great reviews. You know, it just got released. So it’s kind of just out in the world now. ⁓ I look at it and it’s probably ⁓ one of the things I’m really proud about to be able to get those words down and to talk about it because it really, you know, you’re your best advocate. And so in it, it literally goes deeper into like struggling that I had to do, you know.
Thanking to myself, you might have to go get a second or third opinion. You’ve got to advocate for yourself, Tara. It’s your body, it’s your life, and nobody can do it better than you. You have to do it. So it just gets a little bit more in depth on my journey and how it led me to pink ink tattoo and things I’m involved in now. And then of course I have photos in there because I can’t write a book about Ariel of 3D nipple tattooing and not have pictures. So it definitely has before and after.
Elise Cantu (36:24)
Mm-hmm.
Right, right.
Tara Williamson (36:46)
you know, photos in it, which is awesome. And, you know, just my family and my plastic surgeon that was so wonderful to understand the need that, you know, that we needed in this community to say, here’s my office, get in here and help women. And then all the other plastic surgeons that were so amazing and said, can you come to Fort Worth, Texas? Yes, I can, you know, so. So it’s pretty amazing, you know, and I hope that it just inspires others who are feeling, you know, whether
Elise Cantu (36:47)
Yes.
I love that,
Tara Williamson (37:15)
They’re just now diagnosed, going through treatments or 20, 30, 40 years out and pick it up and say, you know what? I’m gonna let my voice be heard. Or, wow, I’m not alone in this journey. She understands, she gets it.
Elise Cantu (37:28)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm. Where can people get their hands on your book?
Tara Williamson (37:35)
Well, it is being distributed at all major distributors like Amazon, Barnes and Nobles, ⁓ Author House, and of course my website, pinkinktattoo.com. Walmart, it’s everywhere. Yeah, I’m so on it. It is huge.
Elise Cantu (37:52)
That’s so exciting. That’s huge. Like,
my gosh, the amount of work, not only to write the book, like let’s not forget that part, but then to get it published in that way, that’s enormous, Tara. Major congratulations on that because I know that’s a ton of work to make happen. wow. What is your website so that people can continue to find you and connect with you?
Tara Williamson (38:07)
I appreciate that. Thank you.
Absolutely. So it’s pretty easy. It’s pinkinktattoo.com.
Elise Cantu (38:24)
For the physical therapist who’s listening right now, Tara, saying, you know what, I have a patient who I think would benefit from this or who I think should maybe consider this on their journey. What would you tell that physical therapist who’s like, my patient is really struggling, that maybe this is a possible solution for them?
Tara Williamson (38:49)
You know, that’s a conversation. Of course, it’s so private and personal, but ⁓ I would always just kind of lean into the breast cancer community, asking questions, support groups, or reaching out. Of course, I’m always available, know, email me if they are like, can I connect you with, even if she can’t get to me and I can’t get to her, at least if she has questions about reconstruction or areola tattooing.
or how to find someone that can provide this. What should she look for? I mean, I’m available to, but definitely, you know, having that conversation and helping her maybe even do the research, I think would be extremely beneficial because a lot of women, when you’re finished, even though you haven’t had this step yet, sometimes you are just done. And, but yet, like you said, you’re still struggling.
Elise Cantu (39:28)
Mm-hmm.
Tara Williamson (39:43)
and maybe you don’t know why or you just can’t accept your new body or your life. And so that might be a comfort, like have you thought about the areola tattooing?
Elise Cantu (39:53)
Yeah. my gosh. Tara, where can people continue to find you, follow you, connect with you? ⁓ Whether that’s on your website or if you have any social medias you want to drop, now is the time to do that.
Tara Williamson (40:07)
Perfect. So I’m on all social media. On Instagram it’s pink underscore ink underscore tattoo. And then Facebook it’s pink ink tattoo. ⁓ And then of course X I’m on there. Also pink ink tattoo. YouTube and everywhere else. ⁓ You know, you can just find me there. And all those are also located on my website as well. Pinkinktattoo.com. Where the book is and before and after photos.
and then just more information on areola tattooing. And of course, all my, you know, things that I’ve been involved with, like the Komen or American Cancer Society, my day of hope that I do every year, and you know, more things like that, so definitely.
Elise Cantu (40:51)
And we’ll be linking to Tara’s website, pinkingtattoo.com, as well as her socials on our show notes. So y’all can make sure and find those on the unqopt.com. Tara, is there anything else you’d like to leave our audience with as we wrap up for today?
Tara Williamson (41:07)
Well, I just say go live your best life because we only have one.
Elise Cantu (41:14)
with that. I don’t have. Yeah, and get the book, right? Absolutely. Available now at Barnes and Noble Amazon, Walmart, all the major publishing places that you can find books. ⁓ Maybe if you ask your local library nicely, they will also have that on. I have done that a few times for other books. So just putting that out into the universe, just in case. I think I will be picking a couple copies up and keeping them in my clinic as well. So if you are a PT out there who says
Tara Williamson (41:14)
and grab my ⁓
That is wonderful. That’s right.
Elise Cantu (41:44)
I think I’ve got some patients who would benefit from this. Maybe a great way to, you know, plant that seed is through this book, for example. So like I said, we’ll be linking to all of that in the show notes. Tara, thank you so, so much for coming on the podcast today. This was a really wonderful conversation. It was very enlightening. I learned a lot about tattooing and medical tattooing and the aesthetic side of this that I was really excited to learn. So I really appreciate you being such an open book about it.
Tara Williamson (42:12)
Thank
Elise Cantu (42:14)
I stole that from Tara. She made a pun earlier off mic, so I figured I should bring it back around. And I’m just so, ⁓ my gosh, of course, I hope to get kind of a follow-up at some point on like, how’s the book doing and whatnot. So I really, really appreciate it until next time. This is Elise with the Onco PT. And remember you are exactly the physical therapist that your patients with cancer need. So let’s get to work.
Tara Williamson (42:20)
Thank you so much for having me.
I would love that, yeah.