A Sunderland entrepreneur is using restorative tattooing to help those recovering from cancer, trauma and gender-affirming procedures feel more comfortable and confident in their bodies.
Pigments in Positivity was established by Louise Stone with support from the North East BIC after she left her corporate career earlier this year to pursue a long-held ambition to offer specialist treatments that can make a meaningful difference to people’s lives.
Based in Sunderland’s Eagle buildings, the social enterprise provides realistic 3D areola and nipple tattooing, MCA scar revision and paramedical scar camouflage.
The service aims to support people whose bodies have been changed by experiences including mastectomy, breast reduction, surgery, trauma and gender-affirming procedures.
Treatments are delivered in a private, inclusive and supportive environment with Louise aiming to make services available on a sliding scale or free of charge wherever funding allows.
Louise said: “I had this broad idea and knew I wanted to create something that could genuinely help people, but I really didn’t know where to start when it came to setting up a community interest company.
“I went onto the BIC website, booked an appointment and my business adviser Anneline has been absolutely amazing ever since. I genuinely couldn’t have done it without her help.
“She has helped me identify potential funders, introduced me to referral partners and local voluntary-sector networks, as well as helping me shape a clear pilot project.
“Having an adviser who understands that I’m trying to build both a clinically responsible service and a sustainable social enterprise has made the whole process feel far less isolating and much more achievable.”
Louise decided to establish Pigments in Positivity as a social enterprise because she wanted to ensure cost would not become a barrier for people who could benefit from the treatments.
She said: “These treatments can make such a difference to someone, but I appreciate that not everyone will be in a position to afford them.
“If somebody has been off work for a long period because of cancer treatment, surgery or another traumatic experience, they may not have the finances to access something that could genuinely help them feel better about themselves.
“That’s why I wanted to create a social enterprise. If people can afford treatment, that’s great, but if they can’t, I want to be able to find ways to support them too.”
Louise has already seen the impact restorative tattooing can have. One client who had undergone a double mastectomy told her that having realistic areola tattoos felt like the final part of her recovery journey.
She said: “Restorative tattooing is sometimes misunderstood as being purely cosmetic, but for many people it can represent closure, confidence and a sense of ownership after an experience where choices about their body may have been taken out of their hands.
“It’s amazing to be able to do something that can make that kind of difference to somebody.”
Louise received support from the North East BIC through the Wear Together initiative, which helps local residents and community groups establish and grow social enterprises and co-operatives across Sunderland.
Through the BIC, Louise has also begun building relationships with other social enterprises, charities, healthcare professionals and potential partners across the region.
Anneline Dowell, Social Enterprise Business Adviser at the BIC, said: “Louise’s passion for helping people feel more confident and comfortable in their own bodies is clear to see. She has identified a real need for these specialist services and is creating a social enterprise that has the potential to make a lasting difference to people across the region.
“It’s been fantastic to help Louise turn her idea into Pigments in Positivity and we look forward to following her journey as the organisation continues to grow.”
Wear Together forms part of Sunderland City Council’s Business Support Programme and is funded by the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority through its Integrated Settlement.