Award Winning Lucy Thompson

I’m Lucy Thompson a multi-award-winning medical and traditional tattoo artist since 2013, TEDx speaker, and proud founder of The Nipple Innovation Project (NIP), the UK’s first mastectomy tattoo charity. My journey into this work began not in a clinic or a studio, but with a promise to myself: that nobody should be left feeling incomplete after breast cancer surgery.
In 2017, I travelled all the way to Texas to achieve a UK first, becoming the country’s very first certified A.R.T 3D nipple tattoo artist. It meant I could offer something deeply meaningful permanent, hyper-realistic 3D nipple tattoos that give the illusion of a natural nipple on a flat surface after mastectomy and reconstruction. An alternative to the basic, semi permanent nipple tattoo options offered in most hospitals. This was the beginning of my mission to transform not just skin, but lives.
Since then, I’ve dedicated my career and advocacy work to supporting the breast cancer community, using my background in traditional tattooing and body art to help people reclaim a part of themselves that cancer tried to take away. I’m passionate about creating beautifully realistic, bespoke nipple tattoos for those who see this as the final piece in their healing journey often described by clients as the ‘cherry on the cake.’ I believe everyone should have access to this transformative service- regardless of their financial status.
In 2018, driven by my experience helping my own auntie who had a negative experience after receiving a fading hospital tattoo in theatre by her surgeon, after her mastectomy, I founded The Nipple Innovation Project. We are proudly the UK’s first ever mastectomy tattoo charity, set up to offer a nationwide directory of experienced & skilled artists, so we can fund tattoos for those needing extra support.

Through volunteer advocacy since 2018, I’ve been able to raise awareness, challenge stigma, and normalise conversations around nipple tattoos in both medical and mainstream spaces.
In 2019, another ‘first’ moment arrived when I entered realistic bilateral 3D nipple tattoos at the Titanic International Tattoo Convention in Belfast something never before done at a tattoo competition, not just in the UK but worldwide. To my joy (and a fair few tears), my brave client and I took home First Place for Most Realistic Tattoo. It wasn’t just a personal achievement, it was a statement to the world about the power and importance of this work.
Since then, I’ve gone on to receive multiple awards recognising both my artistry and my advocacy, including a medal from the government for services to healthcare, charity work & the impact I’ve made in my community & nationally. I’ve proudly taken the stage as a TEDx speaker to share my mission to encourage people to reclaim bodies and confidence after breast cancer.
I also co created a pharmaceutical grade areola pigment set to ensure people were receiving high quality and safe tattoos with the best quality products possible.
Today, I’m honoured to be respected as a global leader & educator in the world of restorative tattooing, training artists internationally and continuing to push boundaries for the breast cancer community to ensure they receive high quality care. Every tattoo I create and every conversation I start is done with one goal in mind: to remind people of their worth, their strength, and their right to feel whole again. In addition, Lucy Thompson is a BUPA approved therapist which you can look into in the link below!

https://www.finder.bupa.co.uk/Consultant/view/307359/miss_lucy_thompson

You can learn more about the work we do at The Nipple Innovation Project at www.nipcharity.org and if you haven’t already, you might like to watch my TEDxNHS talk ‘Tattoo Innovation - Lucy Thompson’’ on YouTube.