[Assessment of patient satisfaction following nipple-areolar complex tattooing after breast reconstruction.]

Nipple-areolar complex tattooing often completes the breast mound reconstruction process after cancer surgery. However, there have been few studies evaluating patient satisfaction with this technique.To assess patients' esthetic satisfaction with the results of tattooing performed by nurses.Ninety-eight women participated in the study. Overall satisfaction with reconstruction and satisfaction with the tattoo's color, dimension, position, and form were determined using questionnaires completed by patients and a professional jury.97% of patients reported overall satisfaction with the results of nipple-areolar reconstruction. The satisfaction rate with the tattoo's color was 67%, with dimension 96%, with form 95%, and with position 94%. The satisfaction rates of the jury were as follows: nipple-areolar reconstruction 79%; color 52%; dimension 77%; form 75%; and position 69%.On the whole, the patients were satisfied with the results one year after tattooing and their satisfaction rate was higher than that of the jury's. Only 6.1% of women required a second tattoo because of discoloration.Nipple-areolar complex tattooing has a high rate of patient esthetic satisfaction and can be performed by a trained nurse without the need for hospital admission.