In the portrait series “Reclaim” women in diffuse pink lighting reveal delicately tattooed designs inked across their chests, unfurling over scar tissue in explosions of color or in black and gray. Nude, with nothing else in the frame, the women embody a sense of openness.

The series, a collaboration between British photographer Kate Peters and art director Gem Fletcher, which began in 2018, illustrates the beauty of mastectomy tattoos, a practice that offers breast cancer survivors the opportunity to transform their skin after they’ve healed from their surgeries. It’s a way to find new confidence, to take control of one’s body after what can be a traumatic experience and, as medical journal JAMA has published, a way to promote psychological healing.