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 "Whenever you try to reach for something your belly is exposed. It's
not nice looking," Wang, 46, said of the scar from the caesarian
birth of her daughter two decades ago that would soon be covered by
a kitten tattoo.
China has one of the highest C-section rates in the world, reaching
a peak between 2004 and 2008 when nearly half of the country's
babies were born using the procedure, the World Health Organization
said in 2010.
This has created a niche market for creams, makeup and plastic
surgery to hide the four to six inch scars left by the procedure.
Some women spend up to 300 yuan ($43.44) for a 30 ml tube of
silicone gel that promises to make their scars go away. Others opt
for laser surgery costing 2,000 yuan for each centimeter of scar
treated.
Tattoo artist Shi Hailei said he offers an alternative to mothers
unhappy with the results from gels and tummy tucks.
"A tattoo makes a woman more confident. She will no longer feel
ashamed to show her abdomen," said Shi, the 32-year-old owner of
Samurai Tattoo in Shanghai.
Shi said he was inspired by Brazilian tattoo artist Flavia Carvalho,
who offers tattoos to women physically scarred by domestic violence.
He thought tattoos could help improve the self-esteem of Chinese
mothers unhappy with their scars.
Shi performed his first free C-section tattoo in 2015. His shop now
helps up to six women per month and sometimes there is a waiting
list due to high demand.
Health experts cite several reasons for China's widespread use of
the procedure.
Caesarian delivery is believed to require less nursing hours than a
natural birth, helping China cope with rising in-hospital births as
more people move to cities and put pressure on health services.
The decades old one-child policy also led couples to choose a
caesarian delivery to avoid complications that could arise from
natural child birth. Finally, women are choosing a caesarian birth
if they are worried about a prolonged labor, doctors say.
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Covering a belly scar can be a challenge because the skin is softer
than other parts of the body. Each scar is unique and requires
careful thought about the tattoo design.
“It could be vertical or horizontal. It will affect the
composition,” he said.
The women who have sought Shi's help say they are very happy with
their new appearance.
Grace Yuan, a dance teacher with a 3-year-old daughter, had been
embarrassed about her scar.
"I felt awkward to see my scar when wearing a low-waist dancing
dress," said Yuan, who got a rose tattoo in April. "I can dance
freely on the stage now without worries or awkwardness."
Wang Ruoyu, 37, said her self-esteem received a boost from the
winged crown tattoo that covers the scar on her lower abdomen.
"All girls want to be pretty and so do I," she said.
(Reporting by Muyu Xu and Ryan Woo; Additional reporting by Xihao
Jiang and Aly Song in Shanghai; Editing by Darren Schuettler)
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