A mother of two simply identified as Alex Derbyshire, has stunned people with her love for tattoos.
The 38-year-old woman has spent two decades and thousands of pounds getting tattoos on her body โ and sheโs inked from head-to-toe.
Derbyshire has vowed to be completely covered in body art before she turns 40.
She has been obsessed with body modification since childhood and got her first tattoo at 18, which was a subtle Celtic cross on her back.
The barber, who is based in Greater Manchester, recalled:
โIt took about an hour, which was longer than I was expecting. It was painful, but I got through it.โ
Delighted with the result, she soon started thinking about what else she could get.
โI never thought Iโd end up as covered as I am now,โ she said. โWhen I first started getting tattoos 20 years ago, they werenโt as common as they are now.
โPeople could still be a little judgemental about them, so I wanted to get them in places I could easily hide and cover-up.โ
Over the years she added 16 more here and there, but when she entered her 30s decided she no longer cared what people thought of her.
So, she gave into her tattoo obsession and got ink on her face, toes and armpits, plus โblackout workโ โ a solid, opaque design โ spanning her neck, back and arms.
Alex estimates she has spent around 200 hours โ the equivalent of eight days โ in the tattooistโs chair, transforming her skin.
Her designs include several pieces dedicated to Pink Floyd, her favourite band, Johnny Cash lyrics on her foot and a skull and butterfly on her neck and chest.
She also has a portrait of Sweeney Todd โ a nod to her job as a barber โ and blackout ink coating both her arms, her neck, and part of her back
Alex said:
โThe blackwork is more about the style than any sort of meaning.
โI started getting it about four years ago. As itโs a completely solid tattoo โ almost as if youโre colouring in a piece of paper โ itโs more high-intensity pain.โ
The pain has never put Alex off though โ and she’s picked up ink as souvenirs during holidays in Australia, Spain and the USA.
She said:
โThe most painful places Iโve had tattoos so far are my back, armpit and my toes. I didnโt expect that to hurt quite as much as it did.
โI have a couple of tattoos on my face โ mainly little linear designs done in white ink, so they arenโt super visible โ which was a very strange sensation.
โYou can feel the vibration going through your whole body the second that gun touches your skin.โ
The single mum, of Bolton, Greater Manchester, who has two sons, Joseph, 18, and Liam, 12, said:
โI have no idea how much Iโve spent in total โ it must be quite a few thousand pounds โ but thatโs been spread across two decades, during which, on average, I’ve had one to two large pieces done a year.”
Alexโs tattoos usually get more admiration than hate โ but she does sometimes face negativity.
She continued:
โI do get people staring when I go out, though not necessarily in a negative way.
โOnline, Iโve had the odd comment here and there, but I donโt pay attention.
โItโs very unnecessary to be judgemental of others โ especially when my tattoos are a personal choice. Itโs up to me what I do with my body.โ
The mumโs sons are her biggest fans.
She added:
โJoseph is 18 now, but doesnโt have any tattoos of his own yet. I can see him getting a couple.
โI think Liam will be more like me, as heโs a little rocker.
โSometimes he rolls his eyes, as if to say, โWhatโve you done now, Mum?โ but I know he likes them really.โ
