Federal petition for paramedical tattooist registration and increased Medicare rebate < 19th Feb2025

Please sign our petition before 19th February 2025.

Link to petition https://tinyurl.com/zsy38u25

• The aim of this petition is to gather support for previvors (people who have had or are considering having preventative mastectomies) and breast cancer survivors who have undergone breast reconstruction after mastectomy and who would like to have intradermal colouration of nipple or areola or both (medical tattooing) by a Paramedical Tattooist with a good Medicare rebate. The petition will be given to Jenny Ware MP - Federal Member for Hughes, who is supportive of both issues, and she will be taking it to the Health Minister in early 2025 to lobby for change.

You can also really add weight to your support, by emailing Your related Story to Ms Ware. Jenny.Ware.MP@aph.gov.au

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨.

*Please advise in that email to Ms Ware , if you’d like your name to be redacted for privacy or not, when Jenny presents the summary of some case experiences , along with the petition numbers to the Health Minister.

By participating in this petition, you are advocating for changes that could lead to better patient care and support for those affected by similar breast cancer reconstruction experiences, to include paramedical tattooists as part of the Medicare subsidy providers and a higher rebate. The petition is open until 19 Feb 2025.

 Please share this so we can get as many signatures as possible. Thank you!

Petition link https://tinyurl.com/zsy38u25

• Earlier this year, the Australian Medicare system added a rebate of $191 for the intradermal colouration of the nipple or areola or both under MBS item 45546 for use only by medical practitioners and MBS item 82228 for use only by nurse practitioners.

I would like to see the integration of qualified and regulated Paramedical Tattooists into the Australian Medicare system. By including these highly trained professionals, we can ensure that high standards of aesthetically pleasing and artistically rendered medical tattoos, such as 3D nipples, are achieved. This can significantly enhance the quality of life and mental health outcomes for patients compared to the results often seen with hospital-performed tattoos where most haven’t been given adequate training to perform to an acceptable standard and comfortably execute such an important closure of someone’s breast cancer experience, leading to negative psychological and emotional outcomes.

• Current costing of medical tattooing of both areolas and nipples is between $1200-$1600, the current Medicare rebate $191.

• If men were diagnosed in the same numbers that women are this would have been changed a long time ago!

The following information is an extract from Pink Lotus Australia -

Disadvantages of tattoos done by Nurses & Doctors with inadequate training.

1. Limited Artistic Freedom: Medical tattoos may lack the artistic finesse and customisation available with paramedical tattooing, resulting in less natural-looking results.

2. Suboptimal Ink Healing: Due to differences in technique and equipment, medical tattoos may exhibit poorer ink retention and fading over time compared to those performed by highly trained paramedical tattooists.

3. Insufficient Training: Medical staff may not have specialised training or experience in cosmetic tattooing techniques, potentially leading to subpar outcomes and patient dissatisfaction.

4. Lack of Tailored Care: Paramedical tattooists offer personalised solutions tailored to each patient's unique needs, whereas medical tattoos may follow a standardised approach that does not account for individual variations in skin texture, scarring, and color matching.

5. Limited Information and Aftercare: Patients may receive less comprehensive information and aftercare guidance from medical staff compared to paramedical tattooists, potentially affecting the healing process and long-term satisfaction with the results.

Regards

Sam & Kristen