Restorative Tattoos

Word Usage Warning: Nipple

Christa 0:00

This episode, we'll discuss the topic of 3d nipple tattoos for breast cancer survivors. My guest and I will be using the word nipple throughout the episode. If you find this word offensive, you may want to skip this week, but I do hope you'll stay for this inspiring conversation about the power of art and healing.

Topsail Insider Intro

Christa 0:23

Welcome to the top. So insider podcast where locals vacationers and those looking to relocate to the greater topsoil area can hear all about the wonderful businesses and events in our beautiful coastal Carolina towns, including Hampstead. Topsail beach surf city. North Topsail Holly Ridge and Sneads ferry.

Coming Up!

Christa 0:46

coming up. When I first thought of creating this podcast and interviewing local business owners. Today's guest is the first person I thought of. Her name is Janine. LaCourt the owner and artist behind restorative tattoos in Hampstead, North Carolina. And this episode, Janine will talk about what led her to medical tattoos. The process her patients go through and the struggles she faces, getting the word out. She's passionate about helping women and men feel whole and confident. After cancer. So if you are a breast cancer survivor, or if you know someone who is, I encourage you to listen and share this episode, here we go.

Intro to Jenean and Restorative Tattoos

Christa 1:32

Hello everyone and welcome to the Topsail Insider Podcast. My name is Christa and I am your host. Today we are interviewing Jenean Lacorte from Restorative Tattoos. So welcome, Jenean. Thank you for joining us today. I really appreciate it. Thank

Jenean 1:47

Thank you for having me.

Christa 1:48

Let's talk about what restorative tattoos is. First of all.

Jenean 1:52

So with restorative tattoos there's two main components to what I do. The first is post mastectomy 3D nipple tattoos, which is fairly self-explanatory. And then the second is scar camouflage. Scar. Camouflage tattoo is for anyone who has a scar that's gone lighter in color, and that scar can be from, surgery, an accident, burn, viletigo, et cetera. And then what I do is I match the pigment to your exact skin shade and tattoo that into that scar. So then while the scar is still there, it's visibly diminished. Like you, you no longer see it's camouflaged.

Christa 2:30

You said when the scar gets lighter. So there's a certain amount of healing that already has to take place

Jenean 2:34

Yes. I, yeah. I won't touch a scar. If it's been less than six months of healing. So the most people know that from, whether it's been surgery or whatnot. If it's been over six months of healing, then I can look at it and we can help determine if now's a good time to work or if you need more time to heal. Okay. But so I can help with scars that are a little bit pink cuz that can, you can use some microneedling on that to help take out some of that trapped blood flow. But if you're someone who scars darker hyperpigmentation there's not much I can do for that. I usually refer someone with a darker scar to try and Reach a dermatologist. For a cream

Jenean’s History

Jenean 3:08

for lightning.

Christa 3:08

Before we get any deeper into the beautiful work that you do, I wanna go back a little bit into your history. So where are you from originally?

Jenean 3:17

I'm originally from Toledo, Ohio. I moved from Columbus, Ohio, which is where I had gone to school. I went to Columbus College of Art and Design. And before I had started this business, I had been an artist for over 20 years.

Christa 3:28

What kind of art did you like to do? What was your favorite medium?

Jenean 3:32

I was a painter, so I did fine art in acrylic and watercolors. Long time ago I used to use oils, but I had stopped doing that when I had my children just because oils take a really long time to cure. Mm-hmm. And some of them can be fatal to children and children like to put everything in their mouth. So I just kind of stopped doing that.

Christa 3:49

How old were you when you realized that you had a passion for art and that's what you wanted to pursue?

Jenean 3:54

Oh my gosh, my whole life has been art. My dad was kind of a art collector, so we always had art in the house and we would do like weekly trips to the art museum like every Saturday. That was what my dad and I would do. Yes. And then I started taking art classes at the museum. Classes in school.

Christa 4:10

How old were you at that point?

Jenean 4:12

I think I, I took my first class when I was six at the museum.

Christa 4:15

Oh my gosh. Okay. Yeah. It's your whole life. Yeah,

Jenean 4:18

my whole life has been art. Yeah.

Christa 4:20

And what led you to Hampstead?

Jenean 4:24

Okay. So what led me to Hampstead is before my husband and I had met he had lived in Wilmington for about a year and left the area. And so when we would vacation, we would come to the Topsail/Wilmington area. And I just kept saying, why don't we move here? You know, And then it took a winter with three weekends in a row of over foot of snow and I said, okay, we're moving there.

Christa 4:47

I think that's probably a conversation that a lot of people that live here now have had. Yeah.

Jenean 4:52

Oh yeah. But I just, I loved the area. The weather's always been beautiful. There's, there is a lot to do. But I really love the people. People here are so friendly and I guess I didn't realize how unfriendly people can be in other areas until I moved here.

Christa 5:06

Oh, really?

Jenean 5:07

But do you know what I mean? Like when I moved in, my neighbors came right over and they're like, Hey, can we help you unload the truck? And we're like, No, that's weird. Are they trying to case our stuff? Right,

Christa 5:17

Right.

Jenean 5:18

Um, And then the next day she came over with a cake and I was just like, oh, she genuinely was just being friendly. Yeah. And it's there's so many of those stories like that just I just love being here. And I've That's really Yeah. I've been here for about 19 years now

3D Images and Tattoo Training

Christa 5:36

So we're talking about 3D images and for the people who are not artistic, like myself, when you say 3D nipples, it's on a very smooth surface that you're working on. There's nothing three-dimensional about it. It's about the artwork that you do. And I can tell you, when I look at your images of the work that you've done, it's incredible. And it does look three dimensional. How do you create that 3D look on a flat surface?

Jenean 6:04

So yeah. So by 3d it's not, I'm not actually adding texture or doing anything to the skin to, to make it physically protrude. it's all done with highlight and shadow. So that it visibly looks, like it's an optical illusion. It's a flat surface. Or, slightly rounded service, smooth, that when you add the colors and the highlights in the shadow, it looks like a three-dimensional protruding object.

Christa 6:28

It really does. It's incredible. Thank you. it's the first time that tell my husband, look at these. Let's go back to what training did you already know how to do the 3D work or did you have to get training to do the 3D work? And did that come along with the training for the tattoos?

Jenean 6:46

being an artist before this and having, gone to an art school, you have that training on how to render three dimensional images through painting and drawing and all of that. So I've got that already sitting in my back pocket. Mm-hmm. And then when I had, entered into the medical tattoo training, They do cover an aspect of that as well in school. Okay. as well as how to properly tattoo, what the person has gone through is medically to get up to this point. Because it's not like a regular tattoo artist who is dealing with fresh. Skin. Mm-hmm. This is skin that has been through multiple surgeries. Mm-hmm. So

Christa 7:23

So

Jenean 7:23

been traumatized. And, our skin, our body holds trauma. it's skin that has, sometimes severe scarring. It's skin that has possibly gone through chemo or radiation or both, right. On top of all those things. So you also learn all of that at school, and how to adjust your machine and your needles and all of that for the skin that you're dealing with.

Christa 7:45

how long did you go to school for the tattooing

Jenean 7:48

so there was an online component before and then, And then it was like a hundred hours like it was long days of doing things hands on. And then the last couple days, you were working on real life people.

Christa 7:59

What did you practice on?

Jenean 8:01

you practice on, like it's an artificial skin. It's made of latex. which, if you can make an image go well into the latex, going onto moving to skin feels more like butter. It's very smooth. So it helps you hone it a little bit that way. but it is for me at least, There was so much pressure to get it right. Yeah. Once I had people, because I was like, they've already been through so much. Yeah. I didn't wanna let them down. I was very focused on not screwing this up.

Christa 8:27

up. Yeah, I know. That must have been nerve wracking at first.

Jenean 8:31

was, but I had the most amazing, woman that let me start on her. And she was a nurse and she looked at me and she said, girl, You and I we're in this together. Yeah, you got this.

Christa 8:42

I love that.

Jenean 8:43

So she was the best person for me possibly. Yeah. And about maybe 45 seconds into my first tattoo, she looked over at me and she goes, it feels right, doesn't it? And I said, it does. Cuz she could just see the stress go right out of me. As soon as I started I was like, okay, I've got this. And from my very first one, I knew this is exactly what I needed to be doing with my life.

Christa 9:08

I was talking to my husband last night preparing for this interview. And I said, I feel like she spent all this time, cause I've been reading some articles about you, about how long you did train, just with your art alone and how back then you didn't know that it was gonna lead to these tattoos, but it feels like the universe just gave you all that preliminary stuff and led you right here to help so many people. You know, what you're doing is amazing and love that you have a woman there with you who's willing to sit there and give you the feedback that you need and to observe and notice what you're going through,

Jenean 9:43

In

Christa 9:43

In addition to what she's going through. And that speaks volumes about her as well, oh

Jenean 9:47

No, and we actually still keep in contact through Facebook. Yeah.

Christa 9:50

I know that these people touch your life in big ways and we'll get to that.

The “Why"

Christa 9:54

I wanna go to the why you went from being an artist to wanting to step into the tattoo realm. So can you tell me a little bit about that backstory?

Jenean 10:05

Oh, sure. so I didn't even know this existed as something that could be done for people. And how I found out about it was my brother-in-law's sister. Molly, she's a little younger than me, but we were close and she was diagnosed with breast cancer very early, and as she was going through all of her, Her phases of the journey, like surgery and rehab like she would, she was telling me what's going on. And then as it got to, the nipple tattoos, she was like, oh, so now I need to find someone for, and I was like, nipple tattoo. What is that? Tell me all about

Christa 10:37

that. yeah.

Jenean 10:38

when my grandmother had breast cancer, that didn't exist. implants didn't exist when my brain, There. there's been so many advancements. So I was like, oh, tell me about that. So she was telling me, she's they tattoo what looks like a real nipple on your chest so that your breast feels more like it did before, or at least visually. You've got that look. But she was having a really hard time finding someone near her who could make it look real. Mm-hmm. And ended up having to go from northern Ohio all the way to Maryland to get Herst done. And so there was no follow up after that because it was. Such a big trip to get the first one. but so as she's talking to me about all of this, so she's oh, maybe she's not looking in the right places. So I'm like, I'm looking, pouring over the internet. And you can't, you can find people just about everywhere who will do a nipple tattoo, Whether it's in a doctor's office in a, pm u And when I say pm u, I'm referring to like when you go and get your eyebrows tattooed or your lips done.

Christa 11:32

Oh, okay. Gotcha.

Jenean 11:33

Like some of those people will do it as well. and sometimes doctor's offices, like they'll have a nurse or a doctor take a quick online course and offer it as

Christa 11:43

a Oh wow. that's why the artistry might be missing.

Jenean 11:48

Exactly. So what I was able to find, was so discouraging and I could see why she was getting so discouraged And was willing to travel so far to get what she needed. Things. Sometimes they look like googly eyes. You know how like when, like a nipple will be down and a nipple will be up?

Christa 12:06

Okay. I see what you mean.

Jenean 12:07

mean? and I'm just talking about like how they lay on the chest and then also how the nipple within the ariola would lay. some of them would just be a solid circle of color. none of them looked like nipples. Yeah. Or they looked like a cartoon version of a nipple. And I thought to myself, okay, a tattoo gun is just learning a new tool to an art form that I already know. So that's when I started, really researching, what would it take to do this, to do better? and so then when I landed on the, Place that I went for my training, which was the Salary Institute, which is run in conjunction with Penn Medicine. which to that, to me, I was like, okay, it's run with Penn Medicine. You know what I mean? That's, this is great. And they also gave you some of the medical, cuz some of the other places you could train, they just briefly go over this is, this is how you do it. And there's very little. To it. I'm with a group of other fellow artists who feel the same way as I do, is that there needs to be better regulation about who can be. Particularly a nipple tattoo artist because these are people who have been through so much trauma. It's not like, Hey, I had like a Tweety bird.

Medical Tattoos vs Permanent MakeUp

Christa 13:09

This is not just tattooing and I did learn this when researching you. This is medical tattoos. Exactly. You have to have the training on the procedures that the

Jenean 13:18

you, you should have to have. But right now it's,

Christa 13:21

Oh, you don't,

Jenean 13:21

not right now. You don't. it's not just another service that you should be able to get when you get your eyebrows done. which is a great service for people. Don't get me wrong. I'm not knocking that. But it is a totally different need. it's a totally different artistic component. and you have to, you need to have some of that medical background knowledge to just even understand what

Men and Breast Cancer

Jenean 13:40

a woman's been through. Right. And or a man's been through. Cause I've done men as well.

Christa 13:43

Have you?

Jenean 13:44

Yes. I've done, two men. They were both from breast cancer. Yeah. that is one thing that is not talked about enough, is that men can also get breast cancer. And, they don't know to check themselves. so oftentimes when men. Are diagnosed with breast cancer, it's already stage four because they didn't catch it early cuz they didn't know to catch it early. Cuz they don't go in for any kind of screenings. And men will tell themselves, oh, it's sore. I just worked my muscle. Weird. And they'll wait until it's obviously a lump. Like a visible lump through the skin. which makes their fatality record much higher.

Christa 14:17

Oh,

Jenean 14:18

Because you're not catching it

Christa 14:19

Wow.

Jenean 14:19

Wow. So it needs to be something that's talked about

Christa 14:22

Absolutely.

Correcting Previous Tattoos

Jenean 14:23

When people go through breast cancer or any kind of cancer, but, when they go through that, it's. It's so devastating to their life. not only are you worried, is this going to kill me, but then you're worried. Will I ever look like a female again? Will I ever look like I'm a proper male again? will my partner still love me? Will they still physically be attracted to me? there's so many components. And then to go to someone that you think, and you're having all of this hope like that, you'll feel like a regular person when you walk out again. And to have somebody put on a tattoo to you that is damaging. that doesn't look like how it should. You've just given them an extra level to their trauma. You've just created more trauma for that person. I've fixed two or three dozen

Christa 15:13

You're fixing tattoos from previous artists. Yes.

Jenean 15:17

And I have fixed maybe two to three dozen of those from this local area. And, that's just women who are willing to sake a second chance on having someone help them. Yeah. So that, I can only imagine how many women and men are out there just dealing with the tattoo they got. Mm-hmm. I mean, sometimes they've come to me and it looks like a, a really bad bruise where a nipple should be because that's what's remaining. And I'm just glad that I can help these women and that they've come to me.

Christa 15:46

I am too. I'm so glad that you're here and doing what you do.

Jenean 15:49

Thank you. Thank you.

Christa 15:50

Okay. I didn't know about, I didn't know about that aspect of your business that you were. Covering up tattoos that weren't what the patient

Patients and Clean, Medical Space

Christa 15:58

wanted. I was trying to figure out the language that you would use if it was patient or client, and then when I saw that it was medical tattoos, I'm like, no. These are her patients.

Jenean 16:06

These are my patients. Oh, yeah. I definitely refer to them, to patients. And like on my website, you can see that my, my room, I wanted to put a picture of what my room looks like because everyone ha what's the first thing you picture when you picture a tattoo shop? There's usually art on the walls. it's, it's, usually in open seating and there's no privacy. Someone who's been through what my patients have been through. that's not what they're looking for. so my, my place, it feels more like a spa, like more like a doctor's office. when you walk in, unless you are bringing a family member or a friend, it is just you.

Christa 16:41

you,

Jenean 16:41

and cuz I want them to feel safe. I want them to feel like it's clean. People who have been through cancer are very concerned about the environment that they put their body in because there are so many things that can damage it. You've been immunocompromised for so long that you're very concerned about these things and while a regular tattoo shop is going to be just as clean as my office, hopefully, mine. it sells you on that idea. It's clean, it's white, it gives you that medical feeling. That's that. I, every person that walks in, they're like, oh, this is nice. They want something private. They want something. Clean. and they want it to feel like a medic because it is it's medical tattoo.

Christa 17:18

How

Difficulty with Advertising

Christa 17:19

do your patients find you?

Jenean 17:22

So the majority of my patients, are finding me through, doctor recommendations. breast cancer groups. and then, I've luckily been interviewed by, news

Christa 17:32

Several, yeah. Vaccines. Newspapers.

Jenean 17:34

And, and that is a great way for people to find out about me and it, legitimizes. What I'm doing, when people can see that it's not just a friend of a friend says, oh, I know a girl who can do this for you. so that, that's really helped. But because it's hard. you can't advertise for me, right? I've had radio stations say, oh, I'd love to give you a spot. But then you talk to the person who's trying to sell you the spot, and then they come back and they go, oh, we can't use Nipple, we can't use this. We can't u well, I can't advertise. I certainly can't do a billboard.

Christa 18:05

No, you can't. Can you?

Jenean 18:07

I, I think it would probably cause a traffic accident so. Yeah. So it, it has been great that, that there are local doctors, who have been sharing the word, and the breast cancer community can be a close-knit community. they share with each other when they've had a good experience. they share with each other when they've had a bad experience. Mm-hmm. So when you've had a good experience with someone like me, you tell other people,

Beginning to End Process

Christa 18:31

So I want you to explain to me and the listeners, what it's like from beginning to end for a woman. She's done the reconstructive part of this and she's ready for the tattoo. Are all of your patients local?

Jenean 18:45

No.

Christa 18:45

Where are your patients coming from? Primarily?

Jenean 18:48

my primarily is the state of North Carolina, but I have people come in from all over the country. Okay. and that's great. And actually this summer I had my person come in from the farthest location and it was quite a shock. she flew in all the way from Abu Dhabi.

Christa 19:03

Really? Yes. how did she hear about

Jenean 19:06

She's still got family cuz she's, she is American, but she's living over there. Her husband's like a contractor and she still has family here. And so a family, member had caught, a segment on the news. And. Found the clip online and sent it to her. And so she called me up,

Christa 19:21

the trip

Jenean 19:21

and scheduled the trip, and she made sure that she stayed here long enough so that she could be here for the initial and for a follow up to make sure everything was good.

Christa 19:28

so let's talk about the process, I'm assuming there's a pre-consultation.

Jenean 19:32

sometimes if someone's on the fence, they're welcome to come for a consultation and I never charge for consultations. I feel like. If you need information, it only behooves you to get it and I'm not gonna charge you for that.

Christa 19:41

Do you do Zoom calls, phone calls for that initial consult?

Jenean 19:45

Yeah, I can, yeah, I can do Zoom calls, phone calls, or in person consultations. most people by the time they call me, have a handful of questions, but they know for sure they want the procedure done. Okay. So it can usually be a quick conversation over the phone where they can ask a few things about what happens, and then they're ready to book. Okay.

Christa 20:03

So nipples come in all different shapes and sizes and colors.

Jenean 20:09

They like snowflakes that way.

Christa 20:10

Right. So how, how do you determine with your patient. what they want it to look like. Do they bring in pictures? Do you offer up suggestions based on skin color, hair color? Like how do you do that?

Jenean 20:24

some people do bring in pictures of what they had before, cuz they would really like to be very similar to what they had before. Mm-hmm. Some people are happy to have new nipples cuz they, they

Christa 20:32

weren't, didn't like 'em before. Yes.

Jenean 20:35

but for as far as sizing goes, um, I, I have them I've got like a little stencil of different, circumferences. And I say, just to get a starting point, in your mind's eye, where do you see your new nipple size being? Because some people want a very small one, an average size. Some people you know want a bigger one cuz that's what they had before. Mm-hmm. And it just gives me a good starting point. And then I go based off of their mound size that they're, they're left with after reconstruction. And I guide them from there, depending on what they were looking at. And I draw it on a surgical marker. Let them stand in front of the mirror. I tell 'em, look at it for a minute or two. Make sure you're happy with the size. Make sure you're happy with the location cuz we can wipe off and adjust anything. I try to give women and men as many options as possible because cancer doesn't give you many. So I start by drawing them on with a surgical marker. Once they agree to, placement and size, I get 'em all comfortable in the chair. And, then we start mixing color. I first match your skin tone. So that way, no matter what other colors we add into that to create your ariola, it's going to heal naturally to you. It's not gonna be like an off-putting color. I want it to heal naturally and look, like it should be there.

Christa 21:46

Does the color change from when it's initially put on the skin

Jenean 21:50

when I'm first seeing it and putting it into the skin, it is the color, but as I'm tattooing, you get all of that blood flow to the top of the skin because I'm aggravating the skin. And so it's darker. It's more red when they first see at night, and I let them know, I'm like, this is going to be lighter. It's going to be like the color we agreed upon. Then we start adding and I ask 'em, do you wanna be more pink? Do you wanna be more red, more brown? And I start subtly until we get to the color that they feel like, yes, that's the color I want and then once we agree on that, then I mix up about four or five other colors that will help me get those highlights and shadows to give it that three dimensional look.

Christa 22:23

You said, When they call me, it's to ask us a few questions, but they already know they wanna do it. Do patients ever walk into your office and they're apprehensive or they may have changed their mind and how do you deal with that? If so, or no, it's let's get this done.

Jenean 22:37

No, there very commonly, there is a little apprehension. it's always mixed in with excitement. cuz for, and it's for many reasons, one, they've been through so much and they're, their hopes are like, they're afraid to get their hopes up to what this might be at the end. Oh,

Christa 22:50

Oh, okay.

Jenean 22:51

another reason is for a lot of these women and men, this is their very first tattoo.

Christa 22:56

I didn't think about that either.

Jenean 22:57

everyone, in your head it's oh, tattoos hurt so bad and blah, blah, blah, which they can for sure. but what they're not thinking about is the majority of these people, because of the surgeries that they've had, they've lost. The majority of their sensation, So for them, these tattoos aren't very painful. Okay. Um, they mostly feel pressure and a little occasional zing of pain where they're like, oh, I didn't know I had a nerve still there. but for all of my people, I tell them, if we start going and you're experiencing pain, That is distinctly pain, let me know because I do have topical numbers that I can apply.

Christa 23:33

Gotcha. How long does it normally take from. Beginning to end, like when they walk in your office until they leave. And do they have to come back for a second trip

Jenean 23:45

okay. So from the minute someone walks in my door, and they start filling out paperwork to the minute they leave with their little goody bag out the door. it, if it's a bilateral meaning both breasts, then it takes roughly two hours.

Christa 23:58

That is not as long as I thought it would take.

Jenean 24:01

Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Roughly two hours and that is literally filling out paperwork, asking any questions,

Christa 24:07

the size, color, and shape,

Jenean 24:09

size, color, and shape, mixing colors, getting them leaned back and comfortable.

Christa 24:13

surprising to me. what about follow up or touch up work follow up?

Jenean 24:18

up? I always require to see them two to three weeks after, so that I can see how everything's healed if it needs a touch up, and I include that touchup into the initial cost. Okay. Um, I'm never gonna put subpar nipples out into the world.

Christa 24:31

world. I wanna make sure they

Jenean 24:32

that they healed how they should. And when you're dealing with skin that's been traumatized or heavily scarred it doesn't always take pigment the same way a regular tattoo might.

Christa 24:40

So

Jenean 24:41

So it might, it might need, additional work done. Gotcha. so I always require to see them, if they're from far away like Abu Dhabi. She stayed long enough in the country to make sure that she could be here for the follow-up visit before she flew back. And then any remaining follow-ups we can do through Zoom or photograph. Okay.

Scar Camouflage

Christa 25:02

So I wanna move on to the scar camouflage now because. When I learned about you, you were only doing the the 3D nipple tattoos. But now, I've seen some of your work online with the scar camouflage. I didn't know that was a thing that you could do. So it's very pleasing to see even more of your artwork, and it feels like, You're helping another group of people in a whole different way. What are the different types of scars you work with? And how do you determine the image that you're gonna use to cover up that scar. If it's them coming to you with an idea, or is it you saying, here's what we could do

Jenean 25:37

do, so the majority of scar camouflage, what I'm doing is I am, if it, like I said in the beginning, if it's a lighter scar, like lighter than your regular pigment, then I match to your skin tone and tattoo that into the scar. some scars make that very hard to, even if you did that, still not have the scar itself be visible. for example, I had a. A couple different girls come to me that had been self-harming. And so it was lots of scars in a small area. some fairly distinct, one, someone had been, repeatedly. Cutting into the same area. So it made a thicker scar that almost looked like a keloid, but it was just from built up scar tissue over scar tissue. And so making that the skin color wouldn't have camouflaged, it, it would still be visible.

Christa 26:26

right?

Jenean 26:27

So for those, it was just a conversation, what would you like, what are you open to having a regular tattoo cover that. this is what I think the best way would be. So what kind of images would work for you? for one girl, we ended up doing, cuz she had lots in a small area, lots of lines going everywhere. So the best thing to cover that up would've been, line work. And so we had done, um, like a bouquet of flowers. Mm-hmm. Because there's so many different lines that it did

Christa 26:55

Interesting. Yeah.

Jenean 26:57

where these cars underneath were. another one where she had those really thick scars. What I had done was, I said, that body of that would work great, being hidden within a larger image to almost make it look a little three-dimensional in its own, just using your own, tactile scar tissue. So just in talking with her about what things she liked and, and all of that, we ended up settling on butterflies. And

Christa 27:20

I saw that one,

Jenean 27:22

that thick scar, became the body of the butterfly, and they turned out beautifully. And,

Christa 27:26

so it's a collaborative effort, you two are working together, what do you like? Then here's some ideas. And it's a back and forth until you settle on an image that

Jenean 27:35

that will do both things. Make them feel happy about the tattoo they're about to receive, but also hide the scar that they're trying

The Positive Impact

Jenean 27:42

to hide. And so that's, it's another way because it's like what people don't understand about scars and women especially, but even men, we tell ourselves, oh, it's just a scar. It's vain for me to think about it. But if it is something that you wake up and every day you're like, ah, that scar, or, how do I hide that? I don't want somebody to ask about that, because that is one of those things like as woke as a society we are right now, everyone will still go, Hey, what happened to you? What's that from? That may not be a story that you wanna share. maybe it's a personal thing that either happened to you that you're not happy about or whatever the reason. So scars can hold a lot of weight over you. Because it's something you're constantly, you're putting your mental capacity towards that. Yeah. Every day. So if you can help hide that, make it so it's not visible so that they can go on with their day and somebody's not going, oh, what's that? Or making a judgment. You think they're making a judgment about you, about whatever's. If you can hide that, it takes that weed off their shoulders, right? And they're able to go forward with the rest of their day and move on, and it just builds confidence up that they've been lacking for a while, for whatever reason.

Christa 28:49

Do you see a change in them as far as their confidence level? Maybe by the follow up? Oh, you

Jenean 28:56

And that's for all of the tattoos, the nipple tattoos as well. When I see them walk in a couple weeks later, they're a different person. There's a lightness in their step. a smile from usually ear to ear. They're telling me like, oh, this is great. And I, so many of these people remain in my lives. Like it's not just you see 'em and you're gone. I have people all the time hit me up on my text message, phone call letter, all the various ways to reach someone and just continually let me know like how much better their life has been since they've made this change. How

Christa 29:32

does that make you feel?

Jenean 29:33

Oh, it makes me feel amazing. Yeah. Absolutely Amazing that I can be, such a help to put that positivity out to the world.

Christa 29:39

Yeah. It's a big

Pricing and Special Fund

Christa 29:41

deal. Yeah. So I don't. I don't know what the pricing is and I don't know if you wanna talk about the pricing here.

Jenean 29:47

Oh, yeah. I don't mind talking about pricing. I'm very, transparent about all of that. if you go on my website, it will list everything that I do and every price point I give. Okay. I do not understand. Anyone hiding that? Like, why do I need to ask you what that is? Why aren't you openly putting that out there? I'm not charging each person differently. This is what I charge. so for bilateral meeting, both, that's a $600 flat fee. And like I said, that includes follow up, touchups. Okay. unilaterals 300, when I do scar camouflage, that's $300 an hour. When someone talks to me and shows me what their scar is, I can say, oh, looking at that scar, that's going to take me this long. Okay. I always give everyone an idea of what the price will be before they walk in the door so they can be fully prepared.

Christa 30:33

Have people, they came to you, they talked to you, and then decided, I really can't afford that. And

Jenean 30:39

there have been a few people who have, mentioned that to me. And so then what I then tell them is, I have a program. it's not like a certified nonprofit or anything like that. It's just literally a fund that I have, friends and, companies like, for example, desert Harvest does a, fundraiser every year To donate into my fund to cover the cost for nipples and scars for people who can't afford, no one should go without the service if they need it and they, yeah. it's detrimental.

Christa 31:07

How can people donate to this?

Jenean 31:09

You need to reach out to me. so I've got some people who say, Hey, if there's a woman who comes in and your fund is low, call me. Or they'll just say, Hey, I'd like to put this much towards your fund. You use it when you need it. I don't even need to know who has used it. Gotcha. A lot of people just wanna be anonymous about it. and say, Hey, this person's covered.

Christa 31:30

That's beautiful. That's really beautiful.

Difficulty Reaching Doctors

Christa 31:33

Okay, what are your future plans?

Jenean 31:35

future plans. I'm always trying to reach out to more and more doctors to let 'em know that I'm here. that's another thing that's hard to do. and I feel like the pharmaceutical. Companies. Mm-hmm. Have made that part of my job really hard.

Christa 31:47

Why is that?

Jenean 31:48

Okay, so when you call a doctor's office and you say, Hey, I have this service and I would love just five minutes with the doctor, and staff to let 'em know what I do. And let 'em know that I'm there. pharmaceutical companies, when they come in, they're like, Hey, we're gonna cover lunch or dinner, whatever for your entire office. Yes. So that we can spend five minutes with you. So when I call as a lone woman business who does not have the budget, cuz they keep my price point where people can afford it, right. Um, when they tell me, oh yeah, no, sure, that's great. I'll give you five minutes. Our office is 50, so we need lunch or breakfast for 50 people.

Christa 32:26

people. Are you kidding me?

Jenean 32:28

I can't afford lunch or breakfast for 50 people. you just took away nipple tattoos for two people. So it can be an issue to try and get around that. so I do a, as much medical networking as I can, cuz when someone meets me and I can show them Then that's how I can work around coming into your office

Final Words - I can help

Christa 32:49

before we close this out, is there anything else that you want the listeners to know about restorative tattoos or just Jenean Lacorte?

Jenean 32:57

I'm a, I'm an open book. I love to help people. I love my job if there's a way that I can help you or someone, you know, cuz unfortunately. Everyone knows someone who's gone through breast cancer

Christa 33:09

Yep.

Jenean 33:10

and those numbers aren't getting smaller. No. we're getting checked sooner and finding it out sooner before it gets to stage four, which is awesome. But there's more and more people and they're younger. They're older. I. We're not just a single demographic anymore when it comes to breast cancer. And I just want people to know that I'm out there and I can help. And as, and with the scars, you don't have to have had breast cancer. you could have been in a fire, you could have fallen down Whatever it is, I can, if it's bothering you, I can help you. If you're proud of it, rock on. But if you, if it is bothering you, I can help you.

Christa 33:43

I love it. Thank you, Janine. Thank you so much

Pick a Card

Christa 33:49

Okay. So as I like to do on this podcast, I wanna finish on a really light note and I'm going to have you choose a card that is completely unrelated to anything with nipples or business, nothing like that whatsoever. So can you draw a card and then read the question and give us your answer.

Jenean 34:08

Okay. if you could have any pet, what would you choose and why? Ooh. So this one I've actually looked into before and it's just not very cost effective. And, I found out it's octopus first. What I love an octopus. I think they're just so cool and they're so smart. And I love the fact that you can put things in the aquarium that they ha like puzzles that they have to figure out because they are so intelligent. When I looked into it, one, it's very pricey. Like you have to have an aquarium that latches down because they They're escape artists, they will get out and then they could pass away. but the other thing is they're under so much stress when they're in captivity That their lifespan is drastically reduced. Mm-hmm. And I'd hate, I'd hate to, you know, that's horrible. Just because I find enjoyment by something. So it's an octopus.

Christa 34:55

I love your answer. That's cool. That was very

Jenean 34:57

unexpected.

Thanks and “Ask Me About My Nipples"

Christa 34:58

Thank you. So I just wanna say thank you to, the listeners, thank you for being here, Jenean, and letting us learn more about this process and, saying nipple as many times as you wanted, right?

Jenean 35:11

yeah. So I have a little catch catchphrase that's on my t-shirts, and soon to be stickers, but it says, ask me about my nipples. Yeah. And my husband at first was like, you can't put that on a shirt. And I said, it starts a conversation. Yeah. And I said, and at first you think, oh, you're gonna get men making all kinds of comments. I said, men see it and they look down at the floor. They don't ask me at all. who do, who does ask me? Women? Yeah, grandmothers.

Christa 35:38

Oh really? I

Jenean 35:38

so many older women who come up to me in the grocery store, cuz I'll forget I'm wearing it and I'm just blah, blah, blah, going down the aisle and someone's So tell me about those nipples. And and then, and it's a conversation and they're like, I never knew that existed. It's great to know that you're, oh, you're in the neighborhood. I will keep that in mind. so it's a conversation starter,

Jenean’s Contact Info

Christa 36:01

So, you can learn more about Janine at her website. It's restorative tattoos.com. You can also reach Janine by email at Janine. It is j e n e a n Janine. Restorative tattoos.com. Your phone number is (910) 232-1117. And you're also on Facebook? Are you on Instagram? Yes ma'am as well. Okay, so Facebook and Instagram. Go there and check her out. And, if you missed all that, come back to my podcast and look in the description and I'll have all of her information there for you. So thank you for joining me, Janine.

Jenean 36:39

Thank you for having me.

Topsail Insider Closing

Christa 36:41

Hey, thank you for joining me today on Topsail Insider. If you like today's episode, please hit the follow or subscribe button so that you can get the Topsail Insider Podcast delivered automatically to whichever podcast platform you're listening on. And if you're a business owner and you wish to set up a pre-interview or you want to advertise, please email me at topsailinsider@gmail.com. Please also find, and like the Topsail Insider Facebook page, I provide links to the new podcast there each week, as well as providing photos of the businesses that I'm highlighting along with any of their upcoming events. So, hey, let's do this again next week. I'll see you around Topsail