From Nurse to National Champion: How I Won the Areola Category at WULOP JAPAN 2026
On July 29, 2026, I won the Areola category at WULOP JAPAN 2026 in Osaka. As Japan's representative, I then went on to compete at the world championship in Türkiye this October.
Today I'd like to share how I went from working as a nurse to doing areola micropigmentation, and what this competition meant to me.
The competition: WULOP
What is WULOP?
WULOP is an international permanent makeup competition that brings together artists from more than 50 countries and regions. The 2026 world championship took place from October 19 to 24 in Antalya, Türkiye, where I competed in the Areola category for Japan.
Why I entered
Of course I wanted to win. But that wasn't the whole story. I wanted women who have lost their areola through breast cancer treatment or breast reconstruction to know one thing: an areola can be recreated with permanent makeup. If competing helped even one more person hear about it, that alone made it worth it.
Words from my nursing years that stay with me
Before all this, I spent 11 years as a nurse at a university hospital in Japan. Caring for cancer patients every day, I saw again and again that even when the illness gets better, a change in appearance can stay with you.
Patients whose treatment included removing the areola usually accepted the surgery itself. Yet when they looked at their bodies afterwards, many told me something like this:
"It feels like I've lost a part of myself."
I also still remember what one patient said quietly after chemotherapy had taken her hair, eyebrows and eyelashes:
"Once your hair, brows and lashes are gone, everyone who's sick ends up with the same face."
Treating the illness matters, of course. But helping someone feel at home in a body that treatment has changed is part of helping them live as themselves. That's what I came to believe during those years.
What I could do outside the hospital
What is areola micropigmentation?
Areola micropigmentation is a technique that uses layered color and shading to create a natural, three-dimensional areola on flat skin. For people who have lost their areola through breast cancer treatment or reconstruction, it can be a way to feel like themselves again when they look in the mirror.
Moving to the Netherlands, and leaving nursing behind
When our family decided to move to the Netherlands, I looked into whether I could keep working as a nurse here. But between learning a new language and getting my qualifications recognized, the hurdles were huge. Honestly, working in a hospital the way I had in Japan just wasn't realistic.
"If I can't work in a hospital, I'll find what I can do outside of one."
With that in mind, I started training in permanent makeup while I was still in Japan. I learned brows, eyeliner and lips, gained experience at a cosmetic clinic, and kept studying areola work alongside it.
In 2022, I moved to The Hague with my three children and opened Studio Gezellig. Today I run the salon while raising my kids. I've traded the hospital for a salon, but my wish to support people through changes in their appearance is exactly the same as it was in my nursing days.
Going back to basics, and winning in Japan
About five years after I first learned areola micropigmentation, I noticed while following artists abroad how far the technique had come, especially in layering color and shading for a truly natural 3D look.
"I want to properly relearn this, the way it's done today."
So I went back to training, this time under the 2025 WULOP World Champion in the Areola category, starting again from the basics. Then, on July 29, 2026, I won the Areola category at WULOP JAPAN 2026 and was selected to represent Japan.
What was on my mind before the world championship
If you're going to compete, you aim for the top. I was serious about that.
But just as much, I wanted this challenge to help people who have lost their areola discover that permanent makeup is an option.
My workplace has changed since my nursing days, and so has the way I support people. Still, I want to keep growing what I can do with the skills I've built. If this helps someone who is struggling with how their body looks after treatment find a new option, nothing would make me happier.
Competition details
WULOP JAPAN 2026
Date: July 29, 2026
Location: Osaka, Japan
Category: Areola
Result: 1st place
WULOP 2026 World Championship
Date: October 19–24, 2026
Location: Antalya, Türkiye
Result: Competed in the Areola category, representing Japan
About me
11 years as a nurse at a university hospital in Japan
Became passionate about appearance care while supporting patients through cancer treatment
Trained in permanent makeup in Japan, then moved to The Hague with my family in 2022
Mother of three, running the Japanese beauty salon Studio Gezellig
July 2026: 1st place, Areola category, WULOP JAPAN 2026
October 2026: Represented Japan at the WULOP 2026 World Championship in Antalya, Türkiye
Curious about areola micropigmentation but not sure who to ask? No question is too small. Feel free to get in touch with Studio Gezellig.
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