For many years, Leandro de Souza was easy to recognize. He is known as Brazil’s most tattooed man. The 35-year-old photographer from Bagé, a city near the border with Uruguay, has tattoos covering 95% of his body. He has more than 170 tattoos that show the story of his life, his favorite music stars, and his more challenging times.
He shares how his story changed today and how challenging it was to get rid of nearly all of his previous tattoos.
Leandro started getting tattoos when he was only 13 years old. His first tattoos were for the rock bands he loved: Nirvana, Guns N’ Roses, and Metallica. Back then, getting tattoos felt like a way to express freedom and show what he cared about.
As time passed, a few tattoos turned into many, covering almost his whole body. When he became an adult, his body was like a gallery full of pictures, patterns, and symbols. He was proud of his tattoos, but they also drew stares and judgments from others.
Ten years ago, Leandro’s life changed when his marriage ended. The loss of his wife, who was the mother of his 10-year-old son, caused him deep pain. To cope, he turned to drugs—first cocaine, then ecstasy, LSD, and alcohol.
For the next nine years, things got worse. His many tattoos made him stand out in public. “I was an attraction everywhere I went,” he said on Instagram. “It felt like being a circus animal.”
Why He’s Removing His Tattoos
Leandro says his tattoos remind him of a painful time—years of addiction, loss, and feeling like he wasn’t treated as a person.
“I couldn’t live that way anymore,” he said. “At events, I felt like a circus animal.”
Now, the tattoos no longer match who he is. They represent past mistakes and a life he’s leaving behind. After becoming an evangelical Christian, he decided to make a fresh start—inside and out.
Leandro has had tattoos for over 20 years, and removing them is hard work. He started using laser surgery, which can be painful.
He has done two sessions so far, each about 30 to 40 minutes long. He still needs six more sessions, with three months between each.
“It hurts much more than getting the tattoos,” he said.
Leandro Thanks His Second Mom and Jesus
Leandro often shares posts on Instagram about his second mom, showing how much she means to him and how she supports him in his new life. In one post, he thanked Jesus Christ for protecting his mother and for taking time from His Word to set him free and heal him. He said that now his mother sees him clearly and has forgiven him, which means a lot to him on his journey of change and healing.
Instagram post: Thank you, Jesus Christ, for protecting my mother. Thank you for taking time from your Word to set me free and heal me. She sees me clearly now and has forgiven me too.
For Leandro, removing tattoos is more than just taking off ink. It means leaving behind a life he doesn’t want. It’s like starting fresh with clean skin.
He hopes people stop calling him “Brazil’s most tattooed man” and see him as Leandro.
His journey isn’t over, but each session makes his past fade and his future brighter. “Now, I’m free to be who I should be,” he said.
Leandro has also started photography to show the beauty of new beginnings.
