Brazil’s Most Tattooed Man Undergoes Painful Surgery to Remove Tattoos, Shares Remarkable Transformation (Photos)
Brazil’s most tattooed man, Leandro de Souza, has revealed an extraordinary transformation after undergoing painful surgery to remove the tattoos that once covered 95 percent of his body.
The 35-year-old photographer, from the border city of Bagé near Uruguay, has already completed two laser sessions as part of the process to eliminate over 20 years’ worth of ink. De Souza made the life-altering decision to remove more than 170 tattoos after embracing evangelicalism.
“I got my first tattoo when I was 13,” de Souza told Brazilian news outlet G1. “The early ones were all about the idols of the time.”
His tattoos were inspired by popular rock bands like Nirvana, Guns N’ Roses, and Metallica.
De Souza’s life took a darker turn about 10 years ago when he divorced his wife. The breakup from the mother of his now 10-year-old son led him down a path of substance abuse, including cocaine, ecstasy, LSD, and alcohol.
“I couldn’t stand the life I was living anymore,” he said. “I became an attraction at events, like a circus animal.”
His outlook changed when he visited a shelter, where he was introduced to evangelism.
“The first step in any change is accepting that you can’t do it alone, that you are an addict,” de Souza explained. “I managed to do that when I entered the municipal shelter in Bagé. Within a week, a woman began to evangelize me.”
De Souza still has six more laser sessions to complete, with each session lasting 30 to 40 minutes and scheduled every three months.
“It hurts much more than getting the tattoos,” he admitted. “It’s three times more painful, even with anesthesia. The process is very painful.”