Brazil’s formerly most tattooed man has decided to get rid of the artwork he had inked on nearly 100% of his body.
So far, Leandro de Souza has gone through two laser procedures to remove tattoos that date back more than twenty years. His first tattoo was done as a teenager.
His adoptive mother gave him permission to get his first tattoo when he was thirteen years old, and that was the beginning of a lengthy line of tattoos. According to de Souza, the early ones were heavily influenced by the culture of that era.
de Souza’s life began bleakly, having been discovered abandoned in a shoe box. During his teenage years, he experimented with drugs and alcohol after suffering molestation and other horrific abuse at the hands of a military police officer.
After embracing evangelicalism, he decided to erase almost 170 tattoos.
When de Souzas divorced his wife a decade ago, his life entered an emotional and spiritually dark time. He took any illicit drug he could find and drank for nine years as a result of his breakup with his young son’s mother.
de Souza said he could no longer bear the lifestyle he was leading. Wherever he went, he felt like an animal in a circus because he stood out.
After finding evangelism at a shelter, De Souzas had a new perspective on life. According to de Souza, admitting the problem is the first step toward recovery from addiction. He checked into the Bagé municipal shelter, where a woman began evangelizing to him that first week.
In recent months, de Souza has been updating his Instagram followers on his tattoo elimination process. His words have served as a warning to young people and all generations that he is another living reminder of how not to behave and encourages people to think carefully when considering getting a tattoo. He hopes to be a role model for the wayward. He explained how he regained his dignity, pursued a photography career, and reconnected with his family. He knows that not everyone will get the opportunity to delete their tattoos, but he was given the chance to remove his because he repented and changed his ways.
Six additional sessions, each lasting 30 to 40 minutes, every three months, are still required to remove the rest of Souza’s tattoos. He observed that the pain was far worse to remove than to put on. Erasing them is three times more painful, even with anesthesia.
American tattoo removal specialists note that breaking the cost down per treatment or session is the best way to get a feel for how much laser tattoo removal will set you back. The price of laser tattoo removal may range from $200 to $500 for each session in the US, depending on factors including the size and the location of the tattoo.
As a devout follower of his faith and his acceptance of Jesus Christ, de Souza began preaching to incarcerated people and their families two years ago.
On April 14th, he celebrated his birthday and was one year free from drugs and cigarette use. He has abstained from drinking alcohol for three years.
