An Argentinian man desperate to have his tattoo removed just a week
after having it done, used a cheese grater to scratch it off, even if it
meant letting go of some of his skin in the process.
The 21-year-old man, who preferred to remain anonymous, opted for the
unusual and most likely painful tattoo removal method two years ago,
but a video and pictures of his arm, before and after, only just went
viral, after one of his friends decided to post them online. A resident
of the Argentinian city of Mendoza, the protagonist of the viral footage
was located by local media reporters and was happy to share his
motivation for using a cheese grater to remove a fresh tattoo he had had
done on his wrist.
“I had the tattoo done and a week later I wanted to join the airport
police. Although among the requirements on the website it is not
mentioned, I was told that I could not work there with visible tattoos,”
the unnamed man said. “This happened in August 2017, I was 19 years old
at the time. The other reason I did that to myself was aesthetic. I am
very keen on details and I did not really like how the tattoo was left. I
searched on YouTube for ways to remove it. Firstly I tried with a
pumice stone, but it did not work. Then I continued with the grater. It
hurt and bled a lot. I had to bandage it a lot and apply disinfectant. A
week later I went to the hospital and I had a tetanus vaccination.”
“It hurt and bled a lot. I had to bandage it a lot and apply
disinfectant,” the man added, saying that he regretted his decision at
first, and would not recommend the method to anyone.
“In that moment, I regretted it, of course I did. But when I saw it
had gone a lot, I did not worry more. But I would not recommend it to
anybody.”
Tattoo artists around the world have been commenting on this viral
cheese grater removal method, and the general consensus is that you’re
much better off sticking to the tried and true laser removal. It’s not
exactly painless either, but at least it won’t leave a bad scar, or even
worse, a crater-like wound.
“It is possible to have a mark your whole life. Doing it like this is
worse because it gets stuck to the skin,” tattoo shop owner Diego
Staropoli said.
“It was removed because the tattoo artist was s***. A well-done
tattoo is not easily removed, You end up with a kind of crater,” another
person commented.
