Meet the Leeds tattoo artists helping people with scars regain confidence
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Mastectomies can be lifesaving procedures but they can leave lasting scars of both the physical and psychological kind.
Scars can of course be caused by a variety of factors other than breast cancer but regardless of the background behind them, the psychological toll can be heavy.
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Hide AdIn Leeds, tattoo artists Kate Challinor and Louis Santos are using their skills to restore confidence in those with scars and help people be more accepting of their own bodies.
"Every single one of them has got a journey," Kippax-based Kate said. "It's about trying to beautify and give them that self-confidence back and that self-belief.
"It's a beautiful thing and it works. It's just so incredible."
Kate does not charge survivors of breast cancer for her providing of mastectomy and breast reconstruction tattoos.
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Hide AdShe is currently working with the leader of the Pontefract and District Breast Cancer Support Group to create a calendar showing off survivors and their tattoos to raise funds for the group.
Louis has his own studio in the city centre and offers free tattoos to anyone with scarring caused by past illnesses, including breast cancer.
"I've got an aunty in Brazil and she's a doctor," Louis said. " I was speaking to her and saying I would love to do something to help people but I just don't know how.
"I felt l like my job isn't like a doctor that cures people or a teacher that teaches, or a firefighter that saves peoples lives. My job is more a luxury sort of thing.
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Hide Ad"My aunty does operations on people and she said 'you can't heal them physically but you can heal them with the psychological side, mentally'.
"They've gone through this problem and they look at the scar everyday, psychologically they're still wounded. You can cure that - not physically but psychologically, and I thought that was a nice idea."
Kate has had battles with illnesses herself, undergoing around 10 surgeries across 10 years and being wheelchair-bound.
As a result, she has a comprehensive understanding of the healing power art possesses.
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Hide Ad"I really use my art as a way of improving myself, as part of my rehabilitation," she explained. "I'm one of these annoying people that always tries to turn a negative into a positive."
One woman in particular stands out in Kate's memory as being the one that truly made her realise how much of an impact her work can have.
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