Bristol nipple tattooist frustrated by social media censorshipSkip to contentWatch LiveBritish Broadcasting CorporationHomeNewsSportBusinessTechnologyHealthCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveDocumentariesHomeNewsUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. 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"I'm annoyed and frustrated, not only for myself, but for the people who are looking for this sort of thing and can't find it. I don't know how else to reach people."Carter says her posts are automatically removed "nine times out of 10". She always appeals the decision, but "it's as if nobody even reads it"."It's interesting how the photos I post of male nipples following my treatments do not get banned or reported as a sexual image," she added."For me, this work is about so much more than beauty. It is about helping people feel confident, comfortable and like themselves again."Lauren CarterCarter uses colour and shading to create depth and definition that appears 3DJessica Bowler, a nurse from Bristol, underwent a double mastectomy with implant reconstruction at the age of 32 following a breast cancer diagnosis in 2019. "Although I knew the treatment was necessary to save my life, it was still incredibly difficult physically and emotionally," she said."I would look in the mirror and almost not recognise myself. My chest was a reminder of everything I had been through."Bowler said the decision to get areola reconstruction tattoos marked an important milestone in her recovery, describing the procedure as "empowering"."The tattoos weren't about vanity; they were about feeling comfortable in my own skin," she said."It's difficult to explain unless you've been through it, but having something restored that cancer took away can be incredibly powerful."Jessica BowlerJessica Bowler says the tattoos "shouldn't be treated as shameful or sexual"The 39-year-old described the online censoring of nipple tattoos as "really upsetting", as it prevents survivors from exploring the options available to them post-surgery."They shouldn't be treated as something shameful or sexual," she said."[People] who've been through breast cancer should be able to share their stories and help each other without being censored."Follow BBC Bristol on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.More on this story'My tattoo gave me my freedom back' Meta vs the nipple - the 'never-ending' censorship battleArtist uses tattoos to help cover surgery scarsScoliosis patient hopes tattoo will 'stop bullies'BristolMastectomyTattoosBreast cancerCensorshipSocial mediaCancerMetaRelatedWest raises thousands for Nepalese flood victims'You never quite know what you're going to pull out'In Pictures: Baby pandas and charity abseilersMore from the BBC13 hrs agoFamily shares hidden cost of cancer careMaya, 13, from Hythe in Kent, was diagnosed with neuroblastoma when she was three.13 hrs ago15 hrs agoFour cancers in 40 years: 'I'm lucky to be alive'Susan Gasson has had four cancers since the 1980s and now takes a daily tablet as part of a trial.15 hrs ago16 hrs agoI struggle to put down my phone - and I am 62From "endless scroll" to beating loneliness, experts and users discuss how boomers use social media.16 hrs ago17 hrs agoCancer patients call for early menopause supportGrace Warden, 31, says she "didn't anticipate the severity" of the side effects she would face.17 hrs ago23 hrs agoNot all AI workers think the tech could kill everyoneIn text exchanges and conversations, multiple people who have worked for leading companies are sceptical of the warnings.23 hrs agoBritish Broadcasting CorporationHomeNewsSportBusinessTechnologyHealthCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveDocumentariesWeatherBBC ShopBritBoxBBC in other languagesThe BBC is in multiple languagesRead the BBC In your own languageBBC News BrasilBBC News Mundo (Spanish)BBC News မြန်မာ (Burmese)BBC News 中文 (Chinese)BBC News IndonesiaBBC News 코리아 (Korean)BBC News ไทย (Thai)BBC News Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)BBC News Azərbaycanca (Azeri)BBC News Magyarul (Hungarian)BBC News Кыргыз Кызматы (Kyrgyz)BBC News Polska (Polish)BBC News România (Romanian)BBC News Русская служба (Russian)BBC News na srpskom (Serbian)BBC News Україна (Ukrainian)BBC News O'zbek (Uzbek)BBC News عربي (Arabic)BBC News فارسی (Persian)BBC News Türkçe (Turkish)BBC News বাংলা (Bengali)BBC News دری (Dari)BBC News ગુજરાતી (Gujarati)BBC News हिन्दी (Hindi)BBC News मराठी (Marathi)BBC News नेपाली (Nepali)BBC News සිංහල (Sinhala)BBC News پښتو (Pashto)BBC News ਪੰਜਾਬੀ (Punjabi)BBC News Afaan OromooBBC News አማርኛ (Amharic)BBC News Afrique (French)BBC News HausaBBC News Gaelic NAIDHEACHDANBBC News ÌgbòBBC News Japanese 日本語BBC News GahuzaBBC News PidginBBC News SomaliBBC News SwahiliBBC News தமிழ் (Tamil)BBC News తెలుగు (Telugu)BBC News ትግርኛ (Tigrinya)BBC News اردو (Urdu)BBC News YorùbáBBC News World ServiceFollow BBC on:Terms of UseSubscription TermsAbout the BBCPrivacy PolicyCookiesAccessibility HelpContact the BBCAdvertise with usDo not share or sell my infoBBC.com Help & FAQsContent IndexSet Preferred SourceCopyright 2026 BBC. 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A medical tattooist based in Bristol, Lauren Carter, has voiced significant frustration regarding the online censorship applied to nipple tattoos, particularly those of mastectomy patients. Carter contends that social media bots and algorithms frequently misinterpret her hyper-realistic work as inappropriate nudity, leading to the permanent removal of her pictures and bans from posting. She describes this censorship as wholly unfair and discriminatory, asserting that the constant removal of her portfolio negatively impacts her ability to reach potential clients.

A spokesperson for Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, acknowledged that their systems occasionally make mistakes in identifying and protecting medical and health-related content. They confirmed that tattoos of post-mastectomy scarring and areola are permitted on their platforms, explaining that they allow users to appeal decisions and are actively working to improve how they identify and protect this type of content, recognizing the important role medical tattooists play in supporting breast cancer survivors.

The value of these tattoos extends beyond aesthetic concerns; they serve as powerful symbols of recovery and empowerment for survivors, as illustrated by Jessica Bowler, a nurse who underwent a double mastectomy. Bowler emphasized that obtaining areola reconstruction tattoos marked an important milestone in her recovery, demonstrating that these modifications were not about vanity but about achieving physical comfort in her own skin. Survivors feel that their shared experiences should be freely shared without being treated as shameful or sexual, and that the online censorship prevents them from exploring the options available to them post-surgery.

Carter highlighted the profound sense of injustice stemming from the automated removal of her work, noting that her posts are removed approximately nine times out of ten, despite her appeals. She expressed concern that this digital environment impedes the ability of those seeking such work to find it, underscoring the tension between artistic expression, the medical context, and automated content moderation policies.