"They Can't Censor It": How This Breast Cancer Survivor's Tattoo Is Taking Over Instagram

Alison Habbal was 36 years old when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. To combat the disease, she underwent a lumpectomy, which resulted in breast scarring and the loss of her nipple. Afterward, the Sydney, Australia, resident decided to forgo plastic surgery to re-create her nipple and instead opted for a mastectomy tattoo.

In an interview with BBC, Alison said, "I didn't want a fake nipple made from some other piece of flesh. I thought, 'I'm just going to get a tattoo.'" After looking for the perfect tattoo artist on the internet, Alison picked a New Zealand-based artist, Makkala Rose, who designed Alison's gorgeous floral ink.

Pictures of the tattoo have since been shared by Alison herself and many body-art-centric Instagram accounts, racking up thousands of "likes." Perhaps the best part of Alison's liberating photos is that they aren't going anywhere. Alison explained, "Because there's no nipple, I can blast it everywhere all over Facebook and Instagram, and they can't censor it, which I think is really funny."

Look ahead to see the genesis of Alison's now-viral tattoo.