It might be an operation or burns scar, it might be thinning hair. Therapist Keelin Regan is using semi-permanent tattooing techniques to disguise those things that make us feel less confident about our bodies, and the results are impressive.

She can even give 3D effect nipples to women who have suffered from breast cancer and undergone a mastectomy.

’I’ve always been interested in bringing new things to the Isle of Man that haven’t been here before. As far as I’m aware no one else is offering this service here,’ says Keelin.

A hairdresser for 21 years with her own salon in the Elite Gym at Spring Valley, Keelin was the first to bring mesh integration, a form of hair extensions, for women who had lost their hair through chemotherapy. More recently she discovered a semi-permanent tattooing technique called scalp micropigmentation which can also help.

She says: ’Initially this was what I was interested in and looking into.

’It’s a non-invasive treatment that uses tiny microneedles to deposit ink into the scalp to give the appearance of hair follicles, which can make the hair look thicker and fuller.

’Obviously chemo has some terrible side effects, including hair loss, but this is also for men that are experiencing hair loss.

’And it’s not just men who experience hair loss it’s women as well: a lot of women suffer with hair getting thinner on top in their older age.’

It was whilst she was researching the scalp micropigmentation that Keelin came across the use of tattooing to provide what looks exactly like a new nipple for women who have undergone a mastectomy.

She says: ’It’s basically creating a picture on the breast - a tattoo - of a nipple and areola and it’s completely flat to touch but it looks very real and gives the impression that it’s 3D.’

It isn’t just for cancer sufferers. Keelin has treated a lady who was in a fire as a young child and burned her nipple off: she was able to recreate a nipple to match the other one.

’I do scar camouflaging as well, for anyone with burns or surgical scars, and to disguise stretch marks. It’s basically using different flesh colours to match skin tones and deposit the pigment into the skin to disguise and camouflage areas that are missing pigment from scars.

’Obviously you cannot have it perfect but it really does disguise and camouflage the scars. A lot of them don’t bother people but sometimes there are scars that do bother women in particular, like C-sections scars and tummy tuck scars.

’I just make it less visible and give people their confidence back.’

She finds the work very rewarding: ’The effect is absolutely brilliant. After you’ve done them they say: "I just feel like a woman again - I feel feminine."’

The treatment takes two to three hours from start to finish for two nipples; four to five hours for a partial scalp micropigmentation, a hairline or parting, or up to eight hours for the full head. All the inks and needles she uses are EU regulated, imported from Germany.

Tattooing is always thought of as being a very painful experience but because this is a semi-permanent technique Keelin says it is not as bad: ’This is not as deep as a permanent tattoo so it isn’t as painful. I put a numbing cream on and then, after I do a first pass, I go in with a little more.

’It is going to be a little bit uncomfortable but the results are brilliant and worth it in the end.’

Keelin trained with Finishing Touches Group in Hayward’s Heath who are the leading specialists in micropigmentation.

’The lady who taught me is the number one medical tattooist in the UK and has been for the last five years. Her name is Kelly Forshaw and her mum has been doing it for 21 years. She developed the technique and now it’s got better and better.

’They have their training academy and they work with people in America and all over Europe.’

Keelin finished her training back in May and has been working on refining her technique before starting to promote her work more widely.

She says: ’I’ll be based at Number 52 in Victoria Street one day a week but I am freelance and I have been approached by other clinics as well and it’s something I’m willing to do if they have the clients for me.’

You can contact Keelin on 247957 for a consultation where she will talk through what is possible to achieve. You can also find lots of photos on her Facebook page Skin Ink-IOM.