A father of three who had his right breast removed due to cancer finally feels “complete” again after getting a realistic 3D nipple tattoo.
Dave Talbot, 67, an IT consultant and retired police officer from Bristol, was diagnosed with breast cancer – which affects around 400 men in the UK each year – in 2015 after discovering a lump while showering.
He underwent a mastectomy – an operation to remove his right breast – followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy, before being declared cancer free in 2017.
Being left with one nipple meant Dave felt “something was missing” and he jokingly told his grandchildren he had been “attacked by a crocodile”, but this year he received the opportunity to get a nipple tattoo.
Thanks to award-winning medical tattoo artist Lucy Thompson, Dave has recently undergone his first session, describing the results as “astonishing”, and wants to encourage other men to ask for this service.
Dave told PA Real Life: “It’s the 10th anniversary this year of me having breast cancer. The tattoo almost completes the circle because it was something I was concerned about. It’s just nice having matching nipples again after all these years.”
Dave, who lives with his 62-year-old partner Pamela MacLeod, explained that he had not suffered from “any major medical issues” until his diagnosis in 2015.
He discovered a “boil-sized” lump in his right breast while showering on holiday and, given he had lost his brother to leukaemia and his mother to ovarian cancer, he knew he needed to take prompt action.
“I was blessed with an absolutely superb GP, so I went and saw her, and she said, ‘Well, it’s probably fatty tissue given your age, but I’ll send you off to be checked for breast cancer’,” Dave said.
Following an ultrasound and biopsy at hospital, it was confirmed Dave had “aggressive” breast cancer in October 2015. His breast cancer surgeon said the cancer had been caught early thanks to Dave’s swift visit to the GP, but added that “a matter of weeks would have made a difference”.
“Your first thought is, ‘How long have I got?’, because your attitude to cancer is, cancer is a death sentence,” Dave said. “Then frustration and anger were the other responses… but since it had been detected early, I knew it was treatable.”
He had a mastectomy and his lymph nodes removed, followed by six rounds of chemotherapy, and then took part in the MoonWalk, a fundraising walk organised by breast cancer charity Walk the Walk, in May 2016.
After this, he had radiotherapy, completing his treatment in June 2016, and said he felt “absolutely huge relief” at being cancer free and “looked forward to being normal again”.
Reflecting on his mastectomy, he said: “Interestingly enough, when my breast cancer surgeon said, ‘We’re going to have to give you a mastectomy’, the one thing I said to him was, ‘Can I keep my right nipple?’
“He said, ‘Well, you can, but I wouldn’t recommend it’, so I went away and had a conversation with my wife and I emailed him back and said, ‘Fine, take it away’, but it did bother me. The option of having a nipple tattoo, I think even for women in those days, was fairly unheard of, so I never really gave it much thought.”
Following his diagnosis, Dave became a “crusader” in encouraging men to get checked and has spoken publicly at a Police Federation conference and universities and worked with various charities. The Men’s VMU (Virtual Meet-Up) – a male-dedicated support group for men diagnosed with breast cancer – has offered “loads of support” and this is how Dave came across nipple tattooing.
Dr Kerry Quincey, senior lecturer in psychology at De Montfort University in Leicester and co-founder of the Men’s VMU, said: “Unfortunately, men typically have fewer post-mastectomy options available to them than women. Affording men the opportunity to undergo nipple tattooing – irrespective of whether they choose to have a tattoo or not – is therefore critical for improved breast cancer equality and inclusive aftercare.”
Dave stepped forward to be inked by Lucy Thompson, 35, founder of the Nipple Innovation Project (NiP), which has recently partnered with Bradford Teaching Hospital, and received the tattoo on February 21. Dave said the 25-minute session was virtually painless and he will visit Lucy again in Bradford, West Yorkshire, for a touch-up in the coming weeks as the skin is “very delicate”.
Lucy, who has completed more than 1,000 nipple tattoos, said she feels “very lucky to be trusted with something so important”.
“We understand that talking about your nipples is very personal and it’s not often discussed, and this is why we’re keen to do collaborations and raise awareness,” she said.
“At the end of the day, it’s a natural body part that we shouldn’t feel shame over talking about and these tattoos can help people reclaim their bodies after cancer. To be able to see the transformation before my eyes – it’s something truly special.”
Ross McLean, consultant oncoplastic breast surgeon at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Gateshead, added: “Breast cancer does not discriminate based on gender, yet male patients often face stigma and a lack of tailored support. Projects like the Nipple Innovation Project (NiP) challenge societal perceptions and create opportunities to address these disparities.
“With the NHS struggling to deliver capacity for this valuable procedure, this partnership between NiP and Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust represents an important milestone and demonstrates a model to expand this procedure to all breast cancer survivors, regardless of gender.”
With the 10th anniversary of his diagnosis approaching in October, Dave feels he has now come “full circle” after having the tattoo. He wants to continue raising awareness of male breast cancer and hopes he can encourage other men to ask for paramedical tattoos without feeling “embarrassed”.
“Men like to be stoic but, if something changes in your body or you don’t feel right and it does not improve within a couple of weeks, get it checked,” he said.
“I feel complete now and I’ve got my body back looking the way it used to look.”
To find out more about the Men’s VMU, visit themensvmu.org. To find out more about the NiP, visit nipcharity.org.
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