Man gets burns after resorting to DIY tattoo removal

To this day, “Eugene,”  not his real name, can still remember the pain of getting his tattoo removed.

An episode of Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho delved into what happens when laser tattoo removals are foregone for a do-it-yourself or DIY procedure.

Eugene had the image of the Virgin of Los Remedios tattooed near his right wrist.

A devotee, he believed that the image would guide him to finding a job. With his mother unfit to work and his father's earnings coming short, he prayed relentlessly that he would find one.

As luck would have it, Eugene was soon hired.

But during the orientation, he found out that tattoos were not allowed.

"Hindi ko pa po alam na bawal talaga ‘yung may tattoo. Pinuntahan ko po yung nag-interview sa akin then sinabi ko po sa kanya na, 'Sir, may problema po ako.' Sabi ko na, 'May tattoo po ako sa kamay,' tapos sabi po nu’ng nag-interview sa akin, 'Huwag kang maingay. Ipatanggal mo na lang'," he recalled.

("I didn't know that tattoos were not allowed. I went to the person who interviewed me and told him, 'Sir I have a problem...I have a tattoo on my wrist.' He told me, 'Don't tell. Just have it removed.'")

But Eugene couldn't afford laser tattoo removal, so he searched online for a DIY solution. Despite being apprehensive, he decided to go through with it.

His friends then introduced him to someone they claimed knew how to remove tattoos: a man who goes by the name Russell.

Russell and Eugene decided to use a knife to cover the size of his tattoo.

Eugene said it felt like his nerves were being cut.

"Naramdaman ko po 'yung init nung kutsilyo. Tapos nung itinapal na... masakit po, masakit na masakit, parang pinuputulan ‘yung mga ugat. Parang hinihila, parang tinutusok ng mga karayom," he said. "Nasunog po talaga ‘yung balat niya, sunog na sunog po talaga."

("I felt the heat of the knife. It was painful, it was so painful, it was like my nerves were being cut, like they were being pulled and stabbed with needles. My skin was really burned.")

And instead of removing his tattoo, the procedure caused his skin to be swollen and infected.

The KMJS team brought Eugene to a dermatologist to assess the damage.

The doctor said that Eugene suffered from 3-degree burns.

According to tattoo artist Ricky Sta. Anna, cauterizing is an old way of removing tattoos. It has been banned because it's dangerous.

The common way to remove tattoos is through a laser tattoo removal, which costs P5,000 to P10,000 per session, depending on the color and size.

DIY cover-up

As a tattoo artist, Kittie should have known better.

She herself admits that it was a golden rule not to have a tattoo done based on one's partner because the relationship might be temporary.

But feeling confident of her relationship with her boyfriend and in order to prove to him of her love, she had his face tattooed on her thigh, and his last name tattooed on her wrist.

After seven years, they broke up.

Because the tattoos were attention-grabbing, Kittie took it upon herself to do the cover-up.

Kittie found love again with an emcee. This time she tattooed his stage name.

Unfortunately, the pair broke up, so she added a letter to the tattoo to change it.

Kittie said that many makes fun of her altered tattoos, but she said she herself has moved on.

Tattoos may be a form of self-expression, but it is important to remember that for better or for worse, they're permanent. — LA, GMA News