Man With 95% Of His Body Tattooed Reveals New Look After Laser Removal

A Brazilian man once famous for having nearly every inch of his body covered in tattoos is now unrecognizable — and says his remarkable transformation is part of a new life devoted to faith and redemption.

Leandro de Souza, 36, from Bagé in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, made headlines last year when he was named Brazil’s most tattooed man at the Santa Rosa International Tattoo Expo. At the time, roughly 95% of his body was covered in ink.

But now, after a major personal and spiritual awakening, Souza is in the process of erasing nearly all of it.

“I didn’t feel good anymore. It didn’t fit me,” Souza told Brazil’s O Globo. “It was a life of extremes, and I realized I didn’t want that anymore.” At one point, I felt like I had become a circus attraction.”

Souza began getting tattoos at just 13 years old and spent years obsessed with body modification. His heavily inked look made it difficult to find stable work, forcing him at one point to live in a shelter, according to CNN Brazil.

Everything changed when he found Christianity two years ago. After turning to his faith, Souza said he began to see his body — once a canvas for self-expression — as something that no longer represented who he had become.

Earlier this year, he began the long and painful journey of tattoo removal. In a post shared on Instagram on Aug. 28, Souza revealed before-and-after photos of his face following his fifth laser removal session, done free of charge by Hello Tattoo Studio in São Paulo.

“It hurts a lot — no matter how much anesthesia they use,” he said. “But that pain is part of the price for the choices I made in the past.”

The tattoo studio, which has been helping him through the process, said Souza’s transformation runs much deeper than skin.

“Tattoos don’t define character,” the studio wrote on social media. “Real transformation comes from choices, effort, and determination. Tattoo removal is only the reflection of a much bigger change happening within.”

According to Souza, it will take at least eight laser sessions to remove most of his tattoos. Each procedure uses multiple laser types — one for removing pigment, another to rejuvenate skin, and a third to prevent scarring.

Souza said his life began to spiral years ago following a painful breakup. He turned to drugs and was later arrested. During his time in a shelter, he met a woman who introduced him to Christianity — a meeting that he now says “saved his life.”

These days, Souza is focused on rebuilding. He’s seeking steady employment to pay child support for his son and to regain guardianship of his elderly mother, who lives in a nursing facility.

“Think carefully before tattooing your face,” he cautioned. “I regret it. Back then, I didn’t pay for tattoos — I was in the business, so artists would ink me for free. I was proud to be the most tattooed man in Brazil, but I’ve learned there are things far more important.”

Souza added that he no longer tattoos others and doesn’t judge anyone who still chooses to. “After baptism and conversion, your priorities change,” he said. “Now, I just want to live with purpose — and in peace.”