A former tattoo addict who once covered his entire face in black ink to resemble a skull has undergone a dramatic transformation after finding religion, and is now removing the tattoos that once defined him.
Leandro de Souza, 35, from the city of Bage in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, has completed his fourth facial laser removal session as part of a long and painful process to erase more than 170 tattoos from his body, including the skull design that once masked his face.
Born in 1989, Leandro began tattooing himself at the age of 13, starting with a rock band logo.
Over the next two decades, he became known as Brazil’s most tattooed man, even earning the title at the Santa Rosa International Tattoo Expo in 2023.
But behind the ink was a life marked by trauma, addiction, and regret.
Adopted after being abandoned as a baby, Leandro was sexually abused by a police officer at the age of four, an experience he says haunted him into adulthood.
He later fell into drug use, was introduced to cocaine by the mother of his child, and eventually served time in prison for fraud.
In 2023, Leandro says he experienced a spiritual awakening after turning to evangelical Christianity.
He quit drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes overnight and began a new life focused on faith, family, and redemption.
He said: "I started to realise that I was more like a circus attraction.
"I didn't want that life for myself anymore."
Leandro now lives in a homeless shelter and is working to rebuild his life.
He hopes to regain custody of his 10-year-old son and bring his elderly adoptive mother home from a nursing facility.
A local clinic offered to remove his tattoos free of charge after he posted a plea for work on social media.
The process is excruciating, requiring multiple sessions over two years, but Leandro sees it as a form of penance.
He said: "It hurts a lot, no matter how much anaesthesia they use.
"But that's part of the price for the things I've done in the past."
He has since found part-time work as an event photographer and continues to share his journey online, inspiring others with his story of transformation.