A tattoo artist is helping women heal their scars (Picture: Flavia Carvalho)

A Brazilian artist is helping women, some of whom are victims of domestic violence, others who have survived cancer, turn their scars into something beautiful.

Flavia Carvalho, who runs a studio in Curitiba, Brazil, offers her services free of charge to women, as part of the physical and mental healing process.

Her project is called ‘A Pele da Flor’, a Portuguese expression that means ‘deeper than skin’, as well as having the more literal translation ‘The skin of the flower’.

‘It all started about two years ago, when I worked with a client who wanted to cover a large scar on her abdomen,’ Flavia explained to HuffPost.




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‘She told me that she was at a nightclub, and when she turned down a man who approached her, he stabbed her with a switchblade,’ she recalled.

‘When she saw the finished tattoo, she was extremely moved, and that deeply touched me. I was suddenly struck by the idea of providing free tattoos to women who were left with scars following domestic violence or mastectomies. Each tattoo would act as an instrument for empowerment and a self-esteem booster.’

This woman’s scar was caused by gunshot – the gun was fired by her ex-boyfriend.

(Picture: Flavia Carvalho)

Flavia used cherry blossoms to cover the scar, because they symbolise femininity and beauty, but also to show how short life is – the cherry blossom dazzles in early spring, before the wind blows it away.

This woman’s scars were caused by attempted murder.

(Picture: Flavia Carvalho)

The scars are the result of stab wounds, a drain and emergency surgery. Flavia says on Facebook that she transformed the bad memories into ‘colour and art’.

This woman was stabbed by her ex-boyfriend while at work.

(Picture: Flavia Carvalho)

This girl’s ex-boyfriend stabbed her while she was at work, before fleeing the scene on a motorbike. He was later killed in a collision with a truck, while she was rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries.

This woman had a mastectomy after she was found to have an aggressive form of cancer.

(Picture: Flavia Carvalho)

She is 55-years-old but, as Flavia says, ‘it’s never too late for a tattoo’.

And it’s never too late to begin the healing process.

MORE: Breast cancer survivors show off the stunning mastectomy tattoos that take back their scars

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