Mega tattooed man wants to look normal: This is the result after umpteen treatments

São Paulo (Brazil) - While many tattoo addicts want more and more images on their skin, Leandro de Souza has been busy "undoing" them for months. The 35-year-old, who was once considered the "most tattooed man in Brazil", is primarily trying to get his face back in order. De Souza is currently in an intermediate phase. Nevertheless, he already looks completely different. What is behind this?

"I am a living testimony of how not to be. This testimony should make young people of all ages think twice before getting a tattoo," the reformed drug addict explained on Instagram last month.

He now wants to find a job and win back his family, said de Souza, who grew up in poor circumstances in São Paulo.

According to the Daily Star, this announcement impressed a local company that offers laser removal so much that it offered to remove the Brazilian's tattoos free of charge.

But there is a catch for the man, 95 percent of whose skin is covered in tattoos.

This is because the removal of his body art is expected to take up to eight years. De Souza will have to go to the clinic around eight times for treatment.

Nevertheless, this effort is worth it to him. The former tattoo addict hopes the procedure will give him a fresh start. "I have repented. (...) Not everyone has this chance. Gratitude is the key for young people," says de Souza.

He himself can already look back on an eventful life. As a baby , de Souza was found in a shoebox and later adopted. Drugs, poverty and sexual abuse were all part of his childhood.

No wonder de Souza wanted to "paint over" all of this. But now the bad times should finally be a thing of the past.