Older generations used to warn that people shouldn’t get tattoos because they’re permanent and someone may one day regret getting them. However, these days tattoo removal is an option. Although painful, it works after a few sessions but can leave behind some scarring. Either way, 35-year-old Leandro De Souza has decided to undergo laser treatments to remove almost 2 decades worth of ink.
Leandro De Souza is a native of Brazil and a proud father. However, his divorce almost a decade ago proved to be almost more than he could handle. As a result, De Souza went down a path of partying. During this time he accumulated more than 170 tattoos but his first ink was at just 13 years old. “I did the first one when I was 13,” De Souza explained. “The first ones were very much about the idolatry of the time.” However, he’s recently set out on a religious path of Evangelicalism. As a result, he’s decided to undergo the laser tattoo removal process.
Facing Heartbreak
Leandro’s first tattoos were inspired by his favorite bands, such as Nirvana, Guns N’ Roses, and Metallica. However, the majority of his tattoos were from a decade-long binge following his divorce. During that time, Leandro admittedly experimented with drugs like LSD, alcohol, and ecstasy.
Finding Motivation for Tattoo Removal
“I couldn’t stand the life I was living anymore. I was an attraction at (events I attended) and it felt like a circus animal.” He said regarding his decision for tattoo removal. De Souza was visiting a shelter almost a decade after his difficult divorce. This visit would change the course of his life. “The first step in everything in life is to accept that you can’t do it alone, that you are an addict, that you are a drug addict,” de Souza said. “And I managed to do that, I entered the municipal shelter in Bagé. Within a week, there was a lady who referred me and started to evangelize me.“
Turning a New Leaf
It’s been 2 years since De Souza changed his life and opted for tattoo removal. However, it’s a long process that will be more so for De Souza’s 170 tattoos. Moreover, he now spends his time speaking with “parents and children in homes that are in prisons.”
Leandro began the tattoo removal process with the help of a tattoo studio in Franco da Rocha, São Paulo, which heard about the exciting changes Leandro was making to turn his life around. He’s now been clean from alcohol for 3 years, and free of tobacco and other substances for a year. De Souza still has 6 more tattoo removal sessions before his ink is gone and his transformation, so far, is astonishing and awe-inspiring.
Tattoo Removal is a Modern Possibility
For many, getting a tattoo is inspired by the desire to express one’s creativity, treating their body like a canvas. However, others may regret their ink choices as they mature or their interests and relationship status change. Fortunately, tattoo removal is possible with advancing technology but there are a few side effects like tenderness, skin irritability, and even scarring.
Tattoo Removal Methods
Interestingly, tattoo removal comes with options. De Souza’s treatment, laser tattoo removal, uses lasers to “heat the ink particles,” breaking them down and making it “easier for your immune system to remove,” according to Cleveland Clinic. Laser tattoo removal sessions are scheduled about 3 months apart and can last anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour depending on the size of the ink. This method does come with side effects that range from mild skin irritation to painful blisters, but each person responds differently to treatment.
Skin Removal for Tattoo Removal
Another option for tattoo removal is surgical excision. The medical procedure requires a surgeon, who will “cut out the skin that contains a tattoo.” Then they will “stitch your remaining skin together.” The procedure probably sounds intimidating but it’s only used for small tattoos, as cutting an entire back tattoo and then stitching it up would be unpleasant, dangerous, and seemingly impossible.
Meanwhile, dermabrasion and chemical peels are used to remove the outer layers of skin. Unfortunately, both can cause severe skin sensitivity, especially in sunlight. Therefore, understanding the risks and how to treat the skin properly as it heals is essential to your skin’s health and physical comfort.
Not Recommended by Professionals
Lastly, and possibly least popular and effective, are tattoo removal creams. They can be used at home and often take months or years to yield results. Furthermore, they contain acids that “irritate or damage your skin.” As such, they’re usually advised against by medical professionals.
Can Anyone Get Tattoo Removal
In short, yes. However, some things are worth noting when considering tattoo removal. Firstly, tattoo removal takes time and similar or repetitive steps to be effective, regardless of your chosen tattoo removal method. The reason for this is that a tattoo artist applies ink in layers of the skin, so layers have to be broken down which can’t happen in one sitting, otherwise you’ll suffer severe and irreversible skin damage. Ultimately, that would put your overall health and immunity at risk. Additionally, your skin needs time between sessions to “flush out the ink” so, it’s recommended to wait a few weeks or months between most tattoo removal options listed above.
Secondly, certain ink colors are easier to remove than others. For example, blue and black are easy to remove during laser tattoo removal because “they’re better at absorbing light.” Meanwhile, colors like red are difficult to remove because their “molecular composition” is more resistant to the treatment options.
An Alternative
Consider having them turned into something else, rather than removed. For instance, if you’re considering tattoo removal and the reason has nothing to do with necessity, for work, or because, like De Souza, you’re on a new path. Instead, you don’t like how it looks anymore, have separated from the person who inspired the tattoo, or have other interests. In this case, you might consider another visit to the tattoo shop to have them create something else by covering the existing tattoo. For many, this option may be more satisfying and less time-consuming.
DWTS fans blast Gene Simmons for ‘cringey’ comments: ‘worst guest judge’
Fans of Dancing with the Stars are expressing their shock over Gene Simmons using his position as a guest judge to “sexualize women.”
The 75-year-old KISS frontman, known for his larger-than-life stage presence and persona, joined the show to critique the contestants on Hair Metal Night as they danced to iconic rock anthems from the 1980s.
But audiences are now demanding the network “issue an apology” for “putting a creep on the show,” and for providing him a platform to voice his “cringe-worthy” and “sexist” comments.
On the Tuesday, October 9 episode of Dancing with the Stars, KISS rocker Gene Simmons raised quite a few eyebrows with his controversial guest appearance.
As part of the show’s Hair Metal Night, Simmons joined regular judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli to critique the celebrity dancers.
Despite the high energy of the nostalgia-filled performance set to hits like Cherry Pie and Rock You Like a Hurricane, Simmons’ sexually suggestive remarks overshadowed the night for many fans.
While his rock persona has long been associated with pushing boundaries, many felt his behavior wasn’t suited for the lighthearted nature of the competition series.
Throughout the episode, Simmons, 75, made several remarks that focused less on the dancing and more on the female dancer’s looks, which many viewers call “creepy.”
After former NFL wide receiver Danny Amendola and Witney Carson hit the dance floor, “The Demon” said he couldn’t figure out who was more “hot hot hot.”
“Danny, I’m telling you, you’re right next to somebody – one of the most beautiful women on the planet. She makes you look good. Buddy, you gotta hit the gym. You gotta get in there,” added Simmons.
And then, referring to Emma Slater who was dancing with actor Reginald VelJohnson dancer, he said: “You’ve got a beautiful woman right beside you, who can twist it and turn it, and knows how to move it and, you know, all that.”
The rock legend also had words for VelJohnson. “I wanna tell you, as a guy that’s been on the stage for half a century around the world, I’m kind of a big deal, Reggie,” Simmons said. “It’s all in the attitude and you’ve got something in that beautiful face, they love you!”
Perhaps one of his cringiest remarks was directed to actor-singer Chandler Kinney. Explaining that her moves “fogged up” his glasses, Simmons removed his dark shades and said, “You moved me, not just with your gyrations and so on, but your beautiful face and how you were into the emotion of it – top to bottom.”
He did however offer one relevant opinion to Kinney when he praised her talents, noting that she has a “big future” ahead of her.
Social media quickly filled with backlash, with many expressing their discomfort and frustration. Some viewers even went as far as to call him the “worst guest judge” in the show’s 33-season run.
“I usually like Gene Simmons and think he’s funny. But that was not the case as a guest judge. Very inappropriate and just not helpful,” writes one cyber fan on the DWTS Facebook site.
A second shares, “It was uncomfortable for us watching, can’t even imagine how the women felt. And he wasn’t scoring dances, he was just giving out random numbers.”
Gene was a bust! His comments and feedback were inappropriate along with the scores.”
A third critic adds, “His comments on all the girls was cringe!”
Another user calls Simmons “vulgar” and says he’s “the worst judge ever
Meanwhile, other online citizens are calling out ABC and Disney+, suggesting the network and streaming service apologize to fans of DWTS.
“Y’all owe the biggest apology to your fanbase (which is primarily women) & the dancers for putting that creep on your show and allowing for him to sexualize them on live TV,” one netizen writes on Facebook.
A second pens, “They need to apologize for having Gene Simmons. It was cringe-worthy. His comments were sexist, and he was just awful.”
“But they had a felon on the show this season,” adds another user, who’s referring to Anna Delvey (Sorokin), the convicted fraudster who sparked a lot of controversy with her appearance on September 17, the first episode of the DWTS season.
What do you think of DWTS decision in having Simmons as a guest judge? Please let us know what you think and then share this story so we can hear what others have to say!
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