A BLACKBURN salon owner will be joining breast cancer tattooists from around the country at a demonstration at Facebook’s headquarters.

The event will see medical tattooists and breast cancer survivors converge on Facebook’s London headquarters in Rathbone Square in opposition to the social network’s policy of blocking posts and accounts showing post mastectomy and areola tattooing images, designating them as “pornography.”

Maria Rigby, who runs Split N Polish in Cherry Tree, and who completed her training as an areola tattooist earlier this year, said that, contrary to Facebook’s policy, these kinds of tattoos can be vital to mental the wellbeing of people who have been afflicted by breast cancer, helping them to regain a sense of normality and come to terms with their treatment.

She said: “Unless we get this out there people won’t know that we’re there for them and that we’re helping people.

“It’s a free service that we’re offering, we’re helping people, it’s not something we’re making money out of.”

She added: “It’s laughable when you when you consider what’s out there on the internet.

“All we want is to be able to work with social media companies on this.

“Without us being able to display our work, people won’t know what’s out there.”

Ms Rigby, who will be joined by one of her clients who has experienced the treatment herself, said: “It can be quite an emotional experience working with clients, for survivors it's part of the cancer treatment process.”

However, Facebook’s policy of blocking images that it deems to be “pornographic” has meant that attempts to promote the work of medical tattooists have been thwarted.

As a result, breast cancer patients and survivors have been left in the dark about the help that is available to them and, according to the campaign, “do not know that there is an army of artists on their doorstep.”

The event, dubbed the BOOB Invasion, is scheduled for September 1, has been organised by the World Medical Artists platform and follows on from a similar campaign launched some years previously. Founder Vicky Martin said: “For too long I have been hearing breast cancer survivors and artist’s frustrations and concerns with social media platforms blocking and removing posts and accounts.”

In response she hopes to help to raise awareness and prompt the social media giant, which also owns Instagram, to rethink its policy and allow medical artists to post freely.

A spokesperson for the group said: “They want to use these images to show other breast cancer patients that we are out there!”

“When a woman or man reaches out after being blocked, it hurts to know that these incredible breast cancer survivors are being ignored.

They added: “By supporting this cause it will help enable these incredible people to love their bodies once again.”