Leandro de Souza spent two decades being “the most tattooed man in Brazil”: 170 designs covered 95% of his body, including his face. He started at 13, inspired by Guns N’ Roses and Metallica, and over time became an attraction that he himself describes harshly: he felt “like a circus animal”.
A decade ago, a divorce drove him into drugs: cocaine, LSD, ecstasy, alcohol. It was at that low point that something changed. “I decided to change because I found something greater than myself. Now I preach and seek to convey hope”, says Leandro, now a follower of the evangelical faith.
Since then, he has undergone painful laser sessions at a clinic in São Paulo to erase every tattoo, including those on his face. Specialist Franco da Rocha offered to do it for free, moved by his story. At 35, Leandro says that he now finally feels that his dignity has been restored.
