Does radiotherapy affect tattoo fading in breast reconstruction patients?

Abstract

The final stages of breast reconstruction often involve nipple reconstruction and tattooing to create a nipple areolar complex. The entire procedure often results in high satisfaction amongst patients, which is well documented in the literature. The tattooing is usually performed by Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS's). The colours used to tattoo are designed to be semi permanent to give a more natural appearance. Some patients will experience more issues with fading than others that may require repeated episodes of tattooing. We have reviewed our database of patients utilizing the nipple tattooing service and used patient satisfaction questionnaires to identify if radiotherapy has an affect on tattoo fading. Our results show that 70% of patient that have radiotherapy and subsequent nipple tattooing have problems retaining the tattoo pigment and require repeated tattoo episodes. We feel that this enables us to identify patients earlier hat may require repeated tattooing procedures and counsel them in order to manage their expectations.