SUPPORT is growing to allow pictures of areola tattoos to be posted on Facebook.

Walney tattoo artist Kerry Wilkinson and cancer survivor Adele Dean blasted the social media giants, who deemed the pictures as ‘pornographic’.

Mrs Dean, who had both her breasts removed after being diagnosed with cancer, has backed growing calls to allow pictures of tattooed nipples to appear online.

The Barrow woman said she was left ‘feeling freakish’ after the operation but had gained confidence after undergoing the post-mastectomy procedure by Ms Wilkinson.

Mail readers have now shown their support.

Maxine Williams said: “What a joke that is. What is the world coming to when empowering a cancer survivor is looked at as pornographic.

“Who makes the rules on this rubbish? They need more training clearly. Hang in there lass you're doing an amazing job. Keep that head high.”

Flabbergasted1980 said on our website: "I am on Facebook and I see a lot worse than a picture of a nipple. If this was merely about a topless photo on holiday I don’t think they would have gone to the papers.

"This is about working with survivors of cancer to give them back the body confidence following one of the most traumatic periods of their lives.

“This is also about the bans leaving these survivors thinking they have been dismissed by Kerry who maybe they saw as a shining light at the end of a very long dark tunnel."

Lynda Whiteway said: “Well done Adele Dean for speaking out on this. Kerry Wilkinson, the job you do changes people’s lives, shame on Facebook.”

Ms Wilkinson has thanked the supporters,

“Women like Adele should be able to show and rejoice in their survival and the last piece to jigsaw for them is what I provide - reconstruction," she said.

A Facebook spokesman said: “While we are still investigating Kerry’s case, our nudity policies are clear that we do make exceptions for posts which are clearly intended as medical or educational – this can include images of post-mastectomy areola tattoos.”