Photos Show How Breast-Cancer Survivor Turned Scars Into Tattoos

Van Schaik said she felt an immediate connection with her tattoo artist.

Van Schaik said she felt a strong connection with Veer, as he reminded her of her late brother. She said they spent the first session getting to know one another and getting used to the feeling of having the area tattooed, which Van Schaik said was a good experience and didn't feel painful. 

Martina Leopizzi, a tattoo artist based in Florence, Italy, who volunteers at Tittoo.org, told Insider there are three major factors that artists must consider before working with clients who have scars.

First, she said the artist must have experience tattooing over scars. Leopizzi said she previously tattooed women who had C-sections, so she was used to working with skin that had been damaged. She also said it's important to consider the condition of the skin. 

"Any scar can be different... it can depend on when you got the scar, how old it is. You also have to be sensitive to how the person getting the tattoo is feeling. Because most women, I don't know why, they feel ashamed. They don't want to talk about it, they want to hide it, they don't want to show it," Leopizzi added. 

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