A TATTOO-ADDICTED mum has revealed that she wants to have a “total blackout” done and has a very risky procedure lined up.
Melissa Sloan, 46, admits to getting “three or four” tattoos a week, which cover her from head to toe, but is now looking to get some even more extreme body mods.
The mum-of-seven, from Powys, Wales, has already built up three layers of “prison style” inkings but is now looking to achieve full coverage.
She told the Daily Star: “What I see in the future for me now, down the road, is blackout.
“I have three or four a week, I never stop.”
A total blackout is a tattoo technique where the entire body is tattooed with black ink.
Blackout tattoos, also known as blackwork, have become more popular in mainstream tattooing in recent years, evolving from a relatively niche subculture that was seen as extreme by many artists.
However, total blackouts are still relatively rare outside of hardcore enthusiasts or artists themselves, with most people with blackwork opting to cover just one limb or patch of skin.
Melissa also detailed how, once she runs out of space on the rest of her body, she is beginning to consider a type of tattoo that is still considered over the top by many in the body mod world.
She said: “When time is up I’ll go for the [eyeballs].
“I will do in the end as I’ll be itching for one because I can’t have a tattoo – so I’ll have to go for the eyeballs.”
Eyeball tattoos are controversial and can be very risky.
The NHS does not have an official advice page on the subject, but the American Academy of Ophthalmology warns that such tattoos can cause detached retinas, severe infection or even blindness and the loss of your eyes.
One woman said getting her eyes coloured pink and green was the biggest mistake of her life as it left her partially sighted last year.
Another, earlier this year, went blind in both eyes after a botched attempt to dye them black.
However, Melissa is not put off by the possibility of complications as she presses on with her journey towards total coverage.
She is even willing to travel 200 miles to a specialist artist who, she says, is the only one willing to do it.
Defiant, she explained: “I keep getting people [saying] you’re going to get blood poisoning and all that
“But you can die any way – people could be healthy and just drop down dead.
“I’ve gone this far without blood poisoning. So I’m going to for the gamble.”
Melissa has already dealt with health issues relating to her body art, as she revealed last year that her tatts consistently get infected, and even fall off.
She has also claimed that they have prevented her from getting a job, particularly her face tattoos, and that cruel parents have called her “crayola” on the school run, but none of it will stop her.
