Surviving, Thriving, and Reclaiming Identity: Clara Hartman on Areola Reconstruction

A few days ago, we published an Instagram Reel featuring Areola and Nipple repigmentation, and it caused a lot of reaction and emotion from your side. That’s why we decided to interview one of the Masters of this technique, Clara Hartmann, and see how it feels to bring hope, body, and confidence back to women who have undergone cancer treatment.

Areola reconstruction (or repigmentation), for women who have fought and conquered breast cancer, is like seeing the first shoots of green after a devastating forest fire. The area seems marked forever by the trauma of the blaze, just like the bodies of these courageous women after their surgeries. They look in the mirror and see a reminder of their hard-fought battle, a daily confrontation with what they have lost.

Then, one day, a tiny green shoot pushes through the blackened soil. It's small, almost insignificant, but it is undeniably there, a sign of life returning. Similarly, with areola repigmentation, women see a sign of what was before the flames, returning to their bodies.

It brings hope, a promise that recovery is possible.

The repigmentation procedure is a personal decision, and not every woman chooses it. But for those who do, it can provide a powerful emotional boost, a surge of confidence. It's a reminder of their capacity to renew themselves, just like the forest after a fire.

Areola Reconstruction is one of the procedures taught at PhiAcademy that we’re immensely proud of. Feel free to explore the course, and check what it takes to become a Master of Areola Reconstruction.

So, we asked Clara…

• Clara, why and how did you decide to master the Areola Reconstruction technique?
   
  “I joined PhiAcademy in 2015. I took my first Microblading training with Master Gorana, and my life has completely changed ever since. I’ve reached unimaginable heights, and I felt like I need to bring back to the universe.
  I felt that by mastering the Areola Reconstruction technique, I can bring back to the universe, and go the extra mile in helping women around the world feel beautiful and wanted again.”
  
  
• So, Microblading was the first training you took, that’s how your career started?
   
  “Yes, that’s right. I started as a microblading artist. “

• Now that you’re recognized as an Areola Reconstruction expert, and that you’ve met a lot of clients with different stories, and performed numerous procedures…How do you and the clients feel after each procedure?
   
  “We usually cry. It’s just not possible to hold the tears once you see the client looking in the mirror for the first time. Their eyes speak: “Now, I’m even a better version of what I used to be”. I feel like it’s my way of demonstrating to them: “I told you can conquer the world, go for it!”
  
  
• Areola Reconstruction is quite a sensitive topic, and I believe it requires a special approach, different from the microblading one.  How do you approach your clients, and how do you maintain the relationship?
   
  “That’s right. Even though it’s a non-invasive procedure, it requires me to be connected with the client, to get to know the client and their story before the procedure. To be fully present for them.
  A number of my clients come from referrals from doctors, plastic surgeons, and medical professionals that recommend my work, and they have some trust even before stepping into my salon - But I still strive to build complete trust with them. I take time to understand their needs, what they want and don’t want. “

• Which pigments are you using?
   
  “A part of building and maintaining trust is using only 100% reliable products, that will make sure their repigmentation lasts and heals properly. That’s why I use only PhiAreola products, whose formula is designed specifically for the Areola Reconstruction procedure.“
  
  
• What’s the most important thing that your mentor shared with you, that still sticks with you?
   
  “When you do the procedure to someone who was fighting cancer, you give them back their self-esteem and security back, and that doesn't have a price tag”
  
  
• What advice do you have for students looking to master this technique and become Areola Reconstruction Masters?
   
  “It’s 100% worth doing the training. Being recognized as someone who gives back normalcy and self-esteem to someone who was fighting cancer - it’s unparalleled by anything else. Once you meet your clients and their journeys…You feel like a superhero.”

Feel free to check Master Clara’s Instagram, and check her journey to becoming one of the most recognized Phi Masters in Mexico.