Inspiring Conversations with Christina Siegel of Living Story Tattoo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christina Siegel. 

Hi Christina, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My name is Christina Siegel RN BSN, aka “The Nipple Fairy ®️”. I am a medical tattoo artist that specializes in restorative tattooing of the breast. I started my business, Living Story Tattoo, in 2015. 

My journey to tattooing and starting my business came after a 20 yearlong nursing career. I graduated from Wright State University in 1996 with my Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. I worked in a variety of critical care areas including the burn unit, NICU, and oncology. I have over a decade of plastic and reconstructive surgery nursing experience both in the academic setting at OSU and in private practice at CAPS. 

I was introduced to nipple tattooing while working at Ohio State. There it is considered a task that is completed by the nursing staff. I really loved the idea of helping a breast cancer survivor feel beautiful and whole again. 

The fabulous surgeons at Midwest Breast and Aesthetic Surgery, 

Dr. Pankaj Tiwari and Dr. Ergun Kocak were in need of someone to provide nipple tattooing for their patients. They really wanted a safe, lovely, well-executed nipple tattoo for their patients. We all had the same goals as far as what the finishing touch to a breast reconstruction should do, which is help a survivor look and feel beautiful and whole again. Prior to 2015, nobody in central Ohio was really providing what our vision was. The vast majority of nipple tattoos were being done in physician offices by the doctors themselves or their staff, not someone who had been professionally trained. 

I sought out guidance and training with professional body tattoo artists in 2014. I felt this was critical in order to provide the realistic, long-lasting results that survivors deserved. I started Living Story in 2015 and stepped away from nursing full-time in 2016. In order to be come proficient at something, you really have to dedicate yourself to it full time. I furthered my training and became ART certified in 2017. 

In addition to my nursing license, I am also licensed both with the Franklin County and City of Columbus Health Departments for tattooing services. 

I do restorative tattooing full time, 5 days a week, in the Columbus metro area. I have offices at: 

Midwest Breast and Aesthetic Surgery in Gahanna. 

The OhioHealth Bing Cancer Center in Columbus. 

The OhioHealth Dublin Cancer Center in Dublin 

I currently have over 50 physicians and health care professionals listed on my website that refer their patients to me, coming from inside central Ohio and beyond. I am truly grateful for all their trust in me to properly care for their patients. 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It was definitely not a smooth road in the beginning. It was a bit scary too… I walked away from state health insurance and retirement benefits, a steady paycheck, and a profession that I was extremely knowledgeable about and equally comfortable performing in. At that time, there was no formal “nipple tattoo school” so to speak, at least none that I knew of. Most training then was done by permanent makeup artists that had no experience tattooing body art. I had taken this type of training myself and was highly unsatisfied with the results. They quite honestly, were terrible. 

Finding a tattoo artist to take you in is extremely difficult as a nurse who had a very poor portfolio. I reached out to RJ Woods, who taught me fundamentals of tattooing regarding body art machines, needles, and techniques… I had a lot of bad habits to unlearn from “nurse tattooing” for so long. That was hard! He is great and still helps me today. I still needed breast-specific training, so I found Teejay Dill in Rochester, NY and traveled to learn from her. She’s an amazing woman and was extremely helpful to me! Then later, I trained with Stacie Rae, founder of ART, to further refine my skills and elevate my results. She is a mentor I’m so thankful to have. 

Another challenge was establishing a base of doctors to refer me patients in the beginning. This included the overwhelming task of changing mindsets of the physician. Remember, up until that point all nipple tattooing was either done by the doctor or their staff, not an independent, professional tattoo artist. That had been and still very much is the standard of care when it comes to nipple tattooing. This is a not just an Ohio phenomenon, it’s bigger than country-wide. It’s done that way globally, still today actually. Dr. Tiwari and Dr. Kocak were already sending me their patients but they 

really strived to make a difference here in central Ohio for all those in need of nipple tattooing…regardless of where their surgeries took place. They introduced me to the OhioHealth cancer care community and I was able to start tattooing at The Bing. They also spoke to many of the oncologic breast surgeons and other reconstructive surgeons here about me which created quite the ripple in the pond, helping to change the culture and mindset to using a professional to provide this specialized service. 

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Living Story Tattoo LLC?
My name is Christina Siegel RN BSN, aka “The Nipple Fairy ®️”. I am a medical tattoo artist that specializes in restorative tattooing of the breast.  I started my business, Living Story Tattoo, in 2015. 

Restorative tattooing can benefit a wide variety of clients. The majority of my clients are breast cancer reconstruction patients after mastectomy. Tattooing completes the breast reconstruction with a natural and realistic appearing nipple-areola complex. Areola restoration can help those who had complications from nipple-sparing mastectomies, breast reductions, mastopexy & top surgeries for gender affirmation. This process helps in correcting tissue & pigment loss, cover scars, and to achieve symmetry. It can also be used as a cosmetic elective procedure to darken the areola per client preference or to change the shape to something fun like a heart. 

I also do a considerable amount of corrective tattooing that was poorly done in the beginning. These are typically done by medical staff or inadequately trained cosmetic tattooers. I work 5 days a week and one of those days is usually spent doing a correction. This not only has a damaging effect on their skin from improper techniques but a huge negative impact that is equally damaging to their body image and self-esteem. It can be devastating. 

I was honored to be chosen to present “Healing Hands ” Restorative Tattooing of the Breast- at this year’s Tattoo Coalition for Safety World Trade Conference in Las Vegas on things to know in order to safely tattoo breast clients. 

I’m definitely a bridge between the medical arena and the world of body tattooing. My vast knowledge of different types of breast reconstruction and adjunctive therapies combined with my plastic surgery nursing experience makes me unique in the tattoo realm. 

I truly believe our hands have the ability to heal and I’ve used them to do just that as an RN for over 2 decades. Now, I’m proud to use them everyday tattooing and continuing to change lives for the better. 

This is a very intimate interaction. Clients come in very vulnerable, trusting me. It’s a big responsibility for the artist. It’s also amazing because I get to watch a transformation literally unfold in front of the mirror after the tattooing. It’s an honor and privilege to do this type of work. 

What would you say has been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
The most important lesson I’ve learned is if the work is in your heart, do it! I didn’t start my business to get rich, for any recognition, or to be known as the #1 areola tattoo artist in Columbus… that is not what is important. This work has to be in your heart. It’s not about money or about you even, it’s about who you’re laying your hands on. It’s about the person that came to you for help. I started Living Story Tattoo because survivors deserved better results than they were receiving back in 2014. At that time, patients were going to Maryland and paying a lot of money for professionally done nipple tattooing. There was a huge void that needed to be filled here in Ohio to complete breast reconstructions properly, and I wanted the person to help to be me! I was over 40 years old and scared to start over but I have loved every day since I made that decision. So… take the leap, walk away from security if you’re not happy, get proper training, and don’t look back! If it’s right and will benefit others while making you happy, do it! 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.livingstorytattoo.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/livingstorytattoo/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/livingstorytattoo
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/livingstorytat
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UC-YlJ5XSnwWDSWJV-WRMRlQ
• Other: www.thenipplefairy.net and https://www.tiktok.com/@thenipplefairy