Tattoo Artist ‘Honored’ to Create Realistic Areola Tattoos for Clients with Breast Cancer (Exclusive)

A permanent makeup artist has created a space for people recovering from breast surgery to feel like themselves again.

Ivonne Jimenez, 33, garnered a social media following on TikTok and Instagram after she shared photos and videos of her tattoo work, more specifically creating temporary 3D areola tattoos for customers, typically for people “who are still healing emotionally or physically after breast surgery,” she exclusively tells PEOPLE. 

Jimenez is a permanent makeup artist and medical tattooist, based in both Hanover Park, Ill., and Sherman Oaks, Calif., and specializes in areola restoration, scar camouflage, permanent makeup and other restorative tattoo services. Jimenez is dedicated to making these tattoos available to anyone who may want one and offers training for tattoo artists around the country. 

She explains to PEOPLE that the idea to create these tattoos “came from a desire to make areola tattoos more accessible.”

“I work closely with breast cancer survivors and noticed some aren’t ready for permanent tattoos, or they want to try something before committing,” she explains. “These temporary designs give them a way to reclaim their bodies, even if just for a moment.”

She explains that each pair of temporary tattoos currently costs $10, and depending on the care, they will typically last between one and three days. “Some customers have had success extending wear with a bit of makeup setting spray or gentle care,” Jimenez says.

Although there are no custom designs at this point, she confirms there are four different designs available “to reflect a range of skin tones.” She explains, “They’re designed with inclusivity and realism in mind. I’ve drawn inspiration from the tattoos I do in the studio to make them as life-like and empowering as possible.”

Jimenez explains that when she was a child, her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy, making her “passion for this work is deeply personal.” She recalls, “Watching her go through that experience and witnessing the emotional and physical impact it had left a lasting impression on me.”

It was years later, after Jimenez became a permanent makeup artist, that she discovered areola tattooing. “The moment I learned about it, something clicked,” she says. “I knew this was the kind of work I was meant to do.”

As for the reaction from her customers, she tells PEOPLE it has “been incredibly moving.” 

“Many people have shared that even wearing a temporary design helped them feel more like themselves again. Some cry happy tears when they see themselves in the mirror for the first time with them on, it’s powerful.”

“I feel honored to play a small part in helping people heal,” she says, before noting that customers have come into her studio from all over the U.S. to receive permanent or temporary designs. “Whether it’s through permanent or temporary designs, my mission remains the same: to help individuals reconnect with their bodies and feel whole again.”

She reveals that people all over the world have ordered the tattoos. “The messages I receive from customers across different countries continue to remind me how universal the need for healing and empowerment is,” she says.

But Jimenez confesses she “never expected it to resonate with so many people so quickly.” However, seeing how impactful her work has been and the positive social media reception has been “heartwarming.” She adds, “It shows how many people are looking for connection, healing and visibility.”

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According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer patients who undergo a mastectomy typically have the nipple removed along with the rest of the breast. Although “some women might be able to have a nipple-sparing mastectomy, where the nipple is left in place,” which is usually administered for patients who have “a small, early-stage cancer, away (more than 2cm) from the nipple and areola.”

Patients who receive a breast reconstruction surgery have the choice to decide if they “want to have the nipple and the dark area around the nipple (areola) reconstructed through surgery or tattooing, or both,” per ACS.