Ahead of the MTA300, where ultra-runner Lydia Oldham will run from London to Falmouth in support of the Mastectomy Tattooing Alliance, Runlimited St. Paul's will host a Q&A and Talk with Lydia and Tanya Buxton, founder of the MTA. We sat down with Tanya (by 'sat down with' I mean Tanya very kindly jumped on a video call in the middle of her extremely busy schedule as a tattoo artist, business owner, charity founder and all-round lovely person) to learn more about her, the power of tattoos, and what the Mastectomy Tattooing Alliance is doing to change lives through the medium of ink.

The following interview has been edited for conciseness, clarity and length.

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Runlimited: Hi Tanya! I guess the first place to start would be to tell the people more about yourself and how you got into tattooing. Then, more specifically, how you came to be a part of the medical side of tattooing that you are currently pursuing now. 

Tanya Buxton: It's a bit of a boring answer because I've always wanted to tattoo for as long as I can remember. Like even being little, apparently, I used to tell my Mum that I was going to be a tattoo artist when I grew up. So I've always been fascinated by it from a really young age and then got into it in my early 20s. So I've been tattooing for 16 years now. Don't try and figure out my age from that! 


So tattooing was always my first love, but I did have a real interest in the cosmetic side of tattooing, from the permanent makeup side of things – your eyebrows and eyeliner and such – which I got into maybe five years down the line as an extra arrow to my bow. That opened me up to a world of clientele, that don't necessarily come to tattoo studios or have a different reason to seek out a tattoo. It also opened me up to the cancer community, for example people that had lost their eyebrows because of chemotherapy, or just other medical conditions, like alopecia or scars and burns. It just opened my eyes and opened me up to this world of other people that could be helped by tattooing. 
So the medical side of it was very unplanned. It all kind of unravelled as it has but I wouldn't have it any other way. 
It's amazing. 

RL: I guess we view tattooing purely as an aesthetic thing like it was a fashion and less of the medical or therapeutic benefits that it can provide. 

TB: I think there's so many layers to tattooing and I've always been really aware of the empowering abilities of it, whether that's just a tattoo for fun all the way to the mastectomy tattoos that I’ve done, I just think tattooing has this ability to build your confidence, which I've always loved. But the medical side of it, particularly now, takes that empowering element to another level. That's the bit that I love, giving people a piece of themselves back. 

RL: This was going to be one of my questions later, but you've touched on it really pretty much immediately and we find a similar connection in running. You can claim something through the physical side of the sport, you're taking ownership of your body either through performance or through just going out and running for fun and fitness. 
It sounds like you see the world of tattooing through similar lenses.

TB: Definitely. 
And I think with all the specialist stuff, like your scar cover-up tattoos; mastectomy tattoos; or gender affirming tattoos, that side of it is even more highlighted. I think especially for a lot of my breast cancer patients, it's a way of reclaiming that bit of control. A lot of things are taken out of your control when you're diagnosed with cancer, like your surgery, your treatments and then [a mastectomy tattoo] is this final bit at the end where you're in charge. You're deciding what tattoo you have, who's doing it, when, and I think that's the real important element of this sort of tattooing as well.

RL: So to step all the way back to basics, could you explain, from your perspective, what mastectomy tattoos are? Why are they important to the communities that you help, whether that's cancer patients, people who have gone through gender affirming surgeries, or any of the other reasons for a medical tattoo? 


TB:I like to categorise them a little bit. The medical tattoos, I categorise as things like nipple tattoos, you 3D nipple tattoos and things like that. A 3D nipple tattoo is basically a tattoo, but you're using the artistry to create the illusion of something in 3D and realistic, to create that realistic appearance of the areola nipple complex. But then you have specialist decorative tattoos, which are tattoo designs over scars
. A scar tattoo or a mastectomy or gender affirming tattoo can be a decorative tattoo design that fits on the body to decorate your skin. You can either cover scars that you feel conscious of, or incorporate them in as a way of celebrating that. 
Everyone has their own way of thinking about these kinds of tattoo but they play a huge part in not just someone's physical well-being, but like their emotional well-being as well.

RL: And you've formed the Mastectomy Tattooing Alliance. 
What is your mission with the organisation? How do you aid people in their journey to seek something like what you offer as a tattoo artist yourself? 

TB: When I first started in medical tattooing, I started doing nipple tattoos, doing them for free, basically. 
My idea was that I was going to come in on my day off, once a week or once a month and tattoo the people that needed it. That was just my way of giving back. Like tattooing has given me a lovely career and a nice life, and I think it's nice to give back. And if you've got a skill I feel like you should use it for the better. 
So that was always my plan, but it just exploded. And I think I very widely misjudged how needed these services were. 

Nipple tattooing is quite widely provided throughout the NHS, where the nurses will tattoo the patients. But there's just not that artistic element there. Like, it's not their job. 
They're not artists, they're nurses, they have so much on their plate. So I think when I kind of came along, and other tattoo artists too, it just took the realism [of the tattoos] to a different level. I think that's where it's exploded: people can get a really good, realistic looking tattoo now. My free clinics just became so busy that I was doing them like several times a week and then obviously that was impacting my income. 

The idea was to create some kind of charity or organisation where I still got paid for my time, but we could still provide these tattoos and help with the financial aid for the people who need it. Everyone's a winner. 

Additionally, a lot of people that need these tattoos might not necessarily know anything about tattooing either, and it can be like a really daunting thing. 
So the MTA was kind of born out of that, too. I wanted to create a trusted source about these sorts of tattoos as well as create a trusted network of artists as well. 
If you go to an MTA approved artist, you know there are certain levels of quality and care.

As I mentioned the MTA also can help with that financial burden for people, we have the MTA tattoo gift voucher scheme where we'll issue vouchers towards the cost of people's tattoos as a way of paying the artist, if that makes sense. 


It's a really specialised area and obviously everything's expensive: equipment, inks, needles, they're all expensive. Even the training is expensive to keep your skills the way they are. 
So I think as much as I'd love to just do them for free for people – and I'm sure everybody on the directory would – we're not in a day and age where we can keep up with the demand that's there. That’s where the charity was born: so the artist still gets what they deserve,whilst helping the client to access a tattoo service and providing them with the financial aid if they need. 


RL: You mention financial aid, do you see there's an issue or a debate around accessibility to these treatments for people? Obviously, that's part of why the MTA was founded, but how widespread would you say access to tattooing would be for someone that needs it? 

TB: It can really vary. 
Everyone's personal financial situation is different, isn't it? And, we are really lucky we do have the NHS. So, it's amazing that the NHS, a lot of hospitals do provide those tattoos for people, but they're done with slightly different inks, mostly they’re semi-permanent style inks and they fade. Whereas I believe it needs to be like true tattoo ink, it needs to be in the skin for as long as possible. That's what we at the MTA advocates for, as well for information and education making sure everyone understands tattooing to break the stigma around tattooing for people who are unsure. Through the MTA, people can ensure everything's safe and professional. 


Accessibility wise, I think everyone deserves to be able to access tattoos like this and if they want a permanent tattoo, and they're not able to afford it privately, then organisations like the MTA are here to help sort of thing. 

RL: And you've linked up with Lydia Oldham for her 300-mile run to Falmouth. 
How did that come about? I'm curious. 

TB: So it actually came about through Stories and Ink. (editor’s note, Stories and Ink is a Falmouth-based company that develops and sells tattoo aftercare products, such as moisturizers, cleansers and bodywashes) I have known Stuart from Stories and Ink for many years now and he's been a supporter of my charity since it launched, through private donations and little fundraisers. At the tail end of last year/early this year, we decided to make it official that Stories and Ink were going to be an official supporting partner of our charity, as part of their ethos. It all fits together really well. Our values really align as companies as well. Stories and Ink got hold of Lydia and have organised the event for us really to support the MTA. So I can't take any credit for that one! 

RL: Lydia’s well-known in the running community, partly for all of her distinctive tattoos, it makes perfect sense.

TB: It works really well because obviously she's really into tattoos and she also feels the same way about the empowering abilities of tattoos – how they do make you feel more confident in your skin and that outer confidence then becomes inner confidence. So I think that was why the charity really resonated with her. 

RL: So Lydia, Stories and Ink, and the MTA are partnering up. Is there any involvement that you have as an organisation within her run? 


TB: No, as I say, it's Stories and Ink that are organising it really. So we'll be at the opening event and then, it's a very much  Stories and Ink and Lydia’s event. 
We're just the charity that they're doing it for. She asked if we’d like to join the run, but I will leave the running to her – I’m not a runner!

RL: It looks like a busy day where you are in the studio! You said it's the flash day, so you're doing some tattoo flashes? What does that entail? 

TB: I organised a nationwide tattoo event throughout October for Breast Cancer Awareness month through the MTA. I think we've got about 60 studios across the UK that are all doing tattoo charity days throughout the month of October where the proceeds go to Breast Cancer Awareness. I own a tattoo studio in Cheltenham called Paradise and so we're doing our charity day for the MTA tomorrow. Right now, we’re decorating, organising snacks, getting all the drawings ready. It’s going to be a big one, I think! 

RL: What does your uptake tend to look like for a day like that? 
For your studio, specifically and studios across the country?

TB: We're only a small studio, so there's only four of us that are tattooing tomorrow and it's quite a small, boutiquey studio. I think last year we raised just over £2,000. It was a busy day. 
I couldn't tell you how many people were here! All four of you were going all day, that's what the snacks are for! So, we’ve bought all the Haribo and coffee here! It takes a lot of focus, 

RL: It's an endurance event, just like running! 

TB: 
Maybe I could be a runner!

Thanks Tanya! 
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You can find out more and support the Mastectomy Tattooing Alliance via the MTA website or social media.

Tickets for the MTA300 Talk with Tanya Buxton and Lydia Oldham are limited, but details and remaining tickets can be found here.

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Interview by Liam Dee

With thanks to Tanya Buxton and the MTA.

Below is a selection of Tanya's work, including decorative work and the close-up detailing that goes into a 3D nipple and areola tattoo for clients.