Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Newly verified NiP tattoo artist supports local community with fully funded reconstructive tattoos
Earlier this year, Rugeley tattoo artist Lauren Delarge announced that she was offering a new reconstructive service offering hyper realistic nipple and areola tattoos in the West Midlands to help breast cancer patients fall back in love with their bodies post-mastectomy. Since then, Lauren has continued to provide care to countless people who have reached out for support, which has reinforced the need for this care around the UK.
This October, to mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Lauren is pleased to announce that she has recently been awarded the honour of being named as a verified artist by the Nipple Innovation Project (NiP), a not-for-profit organisation that connects breast cancer patients with medically informed tattoo artists who provide realistic nipple and areola tattoos across the country.
Lucy Thompson, founder of NiP said: “We are thrilled to welcome Lauren to the NiP community. Her dedication to artistic excellence, her experience, and her compassion for patients make her an incredible asset to the charity and patients she will support.”
As part of this initiative, Lauren will be offering fully funded areola and nipple tattoos to eligible patients who have lost their nipples due to cancer treatment. She is currently taking applications to provide free services for the last few months of the year.
NiP provides funds for restorative areola and nipple tattooing for mastectomy patients. Those who do not receive immediate funding will be added to a waiting list for future grant cycles.
In addition to now being one of only 13 NiP verified artists, Lauren also runs her own clinic at Wildflower Tattoo covering the West Midlands area, allowing people to receive free consultations and determine the next steps in their reconstruction journey. She has worked to promote awareness of the practice of restorative nipple and areola tattooing, displaying the level of detail possible with modern tattooing practices.
The loss of nipples during mastectomy and reconstructive surgery after a breast cancer diagnosis can lead to significant emotional and psychological distress, with some survivors suffering with crippling self-consciousness. Medical tattooing is a non-surgical approach to healing, putting power back into the hands of those impacted, providing symmetry and confidence.
“Medical tattooing can be an incredibly emotionally charged experience. It allows people to fall back in love with their bodies,” Lauren says. “It’s not just cosmetic, it’s about restoring a person’s identity, dignity, and aiding their long-term recovery.”
Lauren will be representing NiP via their drop-in clinic at the Hello Beautiful Festival tomorrow (October 15). Here, she will showcase example tattoos on fake skin and explain how her tools work, providing an opportunity for prospective patients to experience the noise involved to remove any anxiety around the process. Lauren will also spend time explaining the process involves and answering questions about the restorative medical tattoo process.
Aside from her passion of restoration work, Lauren will be taking part in fundraisers to help raise money to support the charity. In October, she will complete the Dip for Nip Cold Water challenge to raise funds for nipple restoration tattooing and will be hosting a Flash Tattoo Day in early 2026, with 100% of proceeds donated to NiP charity fund.
Lauren is currently accepting applications for NiP-funded nipple and areola restoration treatments, in addition to her free consultation wait list. If you or someone you know has been impacted by the loss of nipples due to breast cancer treatment, you are encouraged to get in touch with Lauren via Instagram @wildflowertattooing email her at wildflowertattooing@gmail.com or visit her website wildflowertattoo.co.uk to enquire about accessing this support.
