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Nov 18, 2023

UCF student helps breast cancer survivors heal one tattoo at a time

Stacie Becker, a UCF art major and medical tattoo artist at Empower tattoo, has

Stacie Becker, a UCF art major and medical tattoo artist at Empower tattoo, has been changing the lives of breast cancer survivors, and is taking new steps to level up her practice.

UCF art major Stacie Becker, a medical tattoo artist who specializes in 3D areola nipple tattoos, is changing the lives of cancer survivors post surgery.

"One of my favorite things is giving women some control back," Becker said. "The best part about tattooing is that the choice is totally theirs. What I love to tell women is that we can make you look however they want; it's really gratifying."

Becker, 41, who is in her final year at UCF, has specialized in medical tattoos for four years but has been traditionally tattooing since 2007. She really wanted to focus on medical tattooing by taking more art classes, reaching out for the research aspect of it and seeing what her "arm span" could be if she reached for things.

About one in eight women will get breast cancer in their life, and if it's invasive breast cancer, surgery may be required and the nipples may not make it through, according to the CDC. For Becker, she feels that her presence is needed because she gives back what survivors have lost.

One of those people who has benefited from Becker's talent is breast cancer survivor Robin Layne.

Layne, 57, was diagnosed with breast cancer in December of 2021 and got her tattoos done this past September.

"The visual gift she provides to make you look normal again is just amazing. When you look at yourself in the mirror, all you want to be is somewhat normal again," Layne said. "I look at her role to be just as important as my doctor's role."

Becker's dedication to medical tattooing has become part of her personality. She's known for being a fast learner and wanting to make a difference in the lives of others. One of the people in her life can attest to this, and that person is her husband, Mike Becker.

"She's super motivated," Mike Becker said. "When she has her sights on something, she's going to get it done."

Becker has also changed the lives of those who do not want areola nipple tattoos and prefer art to cover the scars from their breast cancer surgery.

One person who just wanted traditional tattoos instead of the 3D tattooing was Linda Browning.

Browning was diagnosed with breast cancer in the summer of 2020, which happened at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. She then decided she wanted to get tattoos a year after her breast reconstruction.

"I had these really huge scars across my chest, and every morning I would see them. It really wasn't me," Browning said. "Now, when I see myself, I’m not seeing gaping scars — I’m seeing beautiful art on my chest."

The next step in Stacie Becker's career is making 3D tattooing a legitimate medical practice. She believes finding supporters in the medical community would get the ball rolling to make that happen.

"Ideally, I would love to be able to walk into a plastic surgeon's office and they have a medical tattoo artist on staff," she said. "It's a lot of red tape to cut through, but you don't get anywhere unless you keep chipping at it."

Becker is still making headway in the lives of breast cancer survivors. Becker is now using her experience to level up her practice.

Over the years, Becker has connected with Dr. Jeffery Cassisi at the UCF Health Psychology Lab and has been able to get three academic papers published on 3D medical tattooing.

"There's just not enough information about 3D medical tattooing," Stacie Becker said. "I’m in a glass wall instead of a glass ceiling; I’m in the room, but I’m not in the room. My main goal now is establishing this as a profession in the medical community."

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