A woman suffering from Crohn’s disease has undergone a ‘cheeky’ transformation and replaced unsightly scars on her bottom – with an incredible TATTOO.
Brave Cinders Fletcher, 35, was unable to sit properly for eight years after suffering excruciating pain from abscesses that developed due to her illness.
Mum-of-six Cinders was left with horrendous scars following surgery to remove the abscesses and was too embarrassed to take her children swimming.
But after a trip to her local tattoo studio, the puckered and bumpy skin was miraculously transformed into shiny rose artwork.
The unbelievable tattoo, which took six hours to complete, glosses over the scarred skin, leaving no signs that it was ever there.
Crohn’s disease causes inflammation in the lining of the digestive system, leading to severe abdominal pain, diarrhoea, fatigue, weight loss and malnutrition.
Cinders has suffered from painful abscesses, complications resulting from Crohn’s disease, since she was 20.
The abscesses, which were up to five centimeters deep, were operated on over six weeks and left life-changing marks.
Determined to raise awareness for those living with the condition, she posted a picture of her transformation on social media.
Cinders, of Blackpool, Lancashire, said: “It’s absolutely amazing. It’s completely changed my life.
“I actually cried. I gave the tattoo artist a big hug and then I cried all night. You can’t see there’s a scar under it – it just looked amazing.
“I’d just say to anyone else in the same position to bite the bullet and go and get it done.”
Cinders has struggled with anxiety since she was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at just ten-years-old.
She added: “Having Crohn’s disease creates anxiety anyway and more so because I’ve got a permanent stoma bag.
“You’re always worried and anxious that people are going to notice or that people are going to judge you. I would worry most swimming with my kids.
“You can feel people staring and kids would would come over and ask me what’s happened to my bum.
“It’s not nice for me and it’s not something I wanted to put my children through either, lots of people whispering and staring.
“It’s a massive deal for me. The bag doesn’t bother me or the tiny scar on my tummy, as you can’t see that, but the scar on my bum was quite horrendous.”
She came up with the idea to change her ugly scar after she saw talented tattooist, Bob Vallance transform the appearance of another customer’s C section scar.
She took a trip to Modz n’ Rockers tattoo studio in Blackpool, where Bob designed the rose to cover up her scar.
Cinders added: “I’ve always had a few tattoos from when I was younger, but I started getting heavily tattooed last year.
“I messaged him but I honestly didn’t think he would be able to do it.
“It’s such a complex scar with all different textures and all different widths and when he said he could do it I was ecstatic.
“I see it as a kind of therapy, because I’ve always been in so much pain all my life.
“Going for a tattoo is a chosen pain, something that I can control and get something beautiful from it.
“When he’s doing the tattoo he’s tearing the skin. The scar had been torn and it has to heal again and a lot of the time the scars can then heal smoother.
“I think people who have Crohn’s disease should not let it define who they are – it is such a controlling disease and it can take over your life and destroy everything.
“I still get to see and hear my children every day but some people with the disease don’t get that privilege.
“But I always say, we have Crohn’s but Crohn’s doesn’t have us and you’ve just got to keep positive all the time.”
