A Montreal woman underwent the same life-saving preventative double
mastectomy as Angelina Jolie and Sharon Osbourne, but Karen
Malkin-Lazarovitz decided to turned her battle scars into a work of art.
“I kind of feel like nipples are overrated,” 41-year-old
Malkin-Lazarovitz told the Daily News. “Who wants to have a picture of a
nipple when you can have a beautiful piece of art?”
Malkin-Lazarovitz learned six years ago that she had a mutated BRCA
gene. Doctors told her the anomaly raised her chances of developing
breast cancer to 85%.
A non-mutated BRCA gene repairs damaged DNA and keeps genetic cellular
material stable, according to the U.S. National Cancer Institute.
The grave odds — along with information about the defective genes and
her own family’s cancer history — convinced Malkin-Lazarovitz, who was
then 34, to undergo a preventative double mastectomy.
“Because the women in my family had breast cancer, I decided to remove my breasts prophylactically,” she told the Global News.
Jolie and Osbourne also elected preventative double mastectomies when they, too, discovered they had the BRCA genetic mutation.
After Malkin-Lazarovitz’s life-changing surgery, she underwent breast reconstruction.
But the year-long reconstruction process wound up taking three years, and the healing took far longer than she expected.
Her right breast implant would not stay inside her chest pocket
properly. Plastic surgeons had to stitch her up four times before the
implant finally cooperated.
“I would love to say it was rare,” Malkin-Lazarovitz said.
“Unfortunately, many mastectomies and reconstructions do need additional
touchups and revisions. It’s not a perfected art form.”
As the years progressed post-op, she started contemplating covering her scars with something pretty.
She opted for a more artistic alternative to full reconstruction: She tattooed her mastectomy scars on her left breast.
“I decided instead of reconstructing my nipples, I’d put a beautiful
piece of art there,” she said. “I wanted to replace the scars with
something I’m proud to look at.”
Malkin-Lazarovitz and tattoo artist Meaghan Goeb, 25, from Slick Styled
Steel, a Montreal tattoo studio, created an ornate magnolia and cherry
blossom design to adorn her new breast.
Goeb was excited to tattoo her first mastectomy scar.
“She loved it and even for myself I couldn’t believe I’ve done this,”
the tattoo artist said. “She was smiling from ear to ear.”
The ink job took six hours spanning two sessions in June and July to complete.
As for her right breast, Malkin-Lazarovitz chose to keep it natural.
“I kind of like the idea of still seeing some scars,” she said. “I think it still represents to me my battle.”
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