Older generations used to warn that people shouldn’t get tattoos because they’re permanent and someone may one day regret getting them. However, these days tattoo removal is an option. Although painful, it works after a few sessions but can leave behind some scarring. Either way, 35-year-old Leandro De Souza has decided to undergo laser treatments to remove almost 2 decades worth of ink.
Leandro De Souza is a native of Brazil and a proud father. However, his divorce almost a decade ago proved to be almost more than he could handle. As a result, De Souza went down a path of partying. During this time he accumulated more than 170 tattoos but his first ink was at just 13 years old. “I did the first one when I was 13,” De Souza explained. “The first ones were very much about the idolatry of the time.” However, he’s recently set out on a religious path of Evangelicalism. As a result, he’s decided to undergo the laser tattoo removal process.
Facing Heartbreak
Leandro’s first tattoos were inspired by his favorite bands, such as Nirvana, Guns N’ Roses, and Metallica. However, the majority of his tattoos were from a decade-long binge following his divorce. During that time, Leandro admittedly experimented with drugs like LSD, alcohol, and ecstasy.
Finding Motivation for Tattoo Removal
“I couldn’t stand the life I was living anymore. I was an attraction at (events I attended) and it felt like a circus animal.” He said regarding his decision for tattoo removal. De Souza was visiting a shelter almost a decade after his difficult divorce. This visit would change the course of his life. “The first step in everything in life is to accept that you can’t do it alone, that you are an addict, that you are a drug addict,” de Souza said. “And I managed to do that, I entered the municipal shelter in Bagé. Within a week, there was a lady who referred me and started to evangelize me.“
Turning a New Leaf
It’s been 2 years since De Souza changed his life and opted for tattoo removal. However, it’s a long process that will be more so for De Souza’s 170 tattoos. Moreover, he now spends his time speaking with “parents and children in homes that are in prisons.”
Leandro began the tattoo removal process with the help of a tattoo studio in Franco da Rocha, São Paulo, which heard about the exciting changes Leandro was making to turn his life around. He’s now been clean from alcohol for 3 years, and free of tobacco and other substances for a year. De Souza still has 6 more tattoo removal sessions before his ink is gone and his transformation, so far, is astonishing and awe-inspiring.
Tattoo Removal is a Modern Possibility
For many, getting a tattoo is inspired by the desire to express one’s creativity, treating their body like a canvas. However, others may regret their ink choices as they mature or their interests and relationship status change. Fortunately, tattoo removal is possible with advancing technology but there are a few side effects like tenderness, skin irritability, and even scarring.
Tattoo Removal Methods
Interestingly, tattoo removal comes with options. De Souza’s treatment, laser tattoo removal, uses lasers to “heat the ink particles,” breaking them down and making it “easier for your immune system to remove,” according to Cleveland Clinic. Laser tattoo removal sessions are scheduled about 3 months apart and can last anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour depending on the size of the ink. This method does come with side effects that range from mild skin irritation to painful blisters, but each person responds differently to treatment.
Skin Removal for Tattoo Removal
Another option for tattoo removal is surgical excision. The medical procedure requires a surgeon, who will “cut out the skin that contains a tattoo.” Then they will “stitch your remaining skin together.” The procedure probably sounds intimidating but it’s only used for small tattoos, as cutting an entire back tattoo and then stitching it up would be unpleasant, dangerous, and seemingly impossible.
Meanwhile, dermabrasion and chemical peels are used to remove the outer layers of skin. Unfortunately, both can cause severe skin sensitivity, especially in sunlight. Therefore, understanding the risks and how to treat the skin properly as it heals is essential to your skin’s health and physical comfort.
Not Recommended by Professionals
Lastly, and possibly least popular and effective, are tattoo removal creams. They can be used at home and often take months or years to yield results. Furthermore, they contain acids that “irritate or damage your skin.” As such, they’re usually advised against by medical professionals.
Can Anyone Get Tattoo Removal
In short, yes. However, some things are worth noting when considering tattoo removal. Firstly, tattoo removal takes time and similar or repetitive steps to be effective, regardless of your chosen tattoo removal method. The reason for this is that a tattoo artist applies ink in layers of the skin, so layers have to be broken down which can’t happen in one sitting, otherwise you’ll suffer severe and irreversible skin damage. Ultimately, that would put your overall health and immunity at risk. Additionally, your skin needs time between sessions to “flush out the ink” so, it’s recommended to wait a few weeks or months between most tattoo removal options listed above.
Secondly, certain ink colors are easier to remove than others. For example, blue and black are easy to remove during laser tattoo removal because “they’re better at absorbing light.” Meanwhile, colors like red are difficult to remove because their “molecular composition” is more resistant to the treatment options.
An Alternative
Consider having them turned into something else, rather than removed. For instance, if you’re considering tattoo removal and the reason has nothing to do with necessity, for work, or because, like De Souza, you’re on a new path. Instead, you don’t like how it looks anymore, have separated from the person who inspired the tattoo, or have other interests. In this case, you might consider another visit to the tattoo shop to have them create something else by covering the existing tattoo. For many, this option may be more satisfying and less time-consuming.
My Daughter and the Neighbor’s Daughter Look like Sisters – I Thought My Husband Was Cheating, but the Truth Was Much Worse
When a new family moved in next door, the eerie resemblance between their daughter and my own sent me spiraling into suspicion. Could my husband be hiding an affair? I had to confront him, but the truth turned out to be far darker than I imagined.
There they were, Emma and Lily, twirling in our backyard like twin sunflowers chasing the light. Their laughter rang out, a perfect harmony that should’ve warmed my heart. Instead, it sent a chill down my spine.
Two girls playing outside | Source: Midjourney
I squinted, trying to spot a difference — any difference — between my daughter and our new neighbor’s kid. But it was like looking at two copies of the same photograph. Same golden curls catching the sunlight, the same button nose, and the same mischievous glint in their eyes.
The only obvious way I could tell my Emma from Lily was the inch or so height difference between them.
“Heather?” Jack’s voice snapped me out of my trance. “You okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
A man frowning slightly | Source: Midjourney
I forced a smile as I glanced back at my husband. “Just thinking.”
About how our perfect little world might be built on quicksand, I didn’t add.
Jack gave me a puzzled look, but then Emma ran over and grabbed his hand.
“Come push Lily and me on the swing, Dad!” she cried.
“Uh… sure, sweetie.” His smile didn’t reach his eyes as he let Emma lead him over to the swing, where Lily was already waiting.
A man walking with his daughter | Source: Midjourney
“Can I go first, pleeease?” Lily asked.
“Okay, but then it’s Emma’s turn,” Jack replied.
As he helped Lily onto the swing, I couldn’t help but notice how natural they looked together. Like father and daughter. The thought made my stomach churn.
Later that night, after tucking Emma in, I found myself staring at old photo albums. I flipped through pages of Emma’s baby pictures, searching for some feature that screamed “Jack’s genes.”
“What are you doing?” Jack’s voice made me jump.
A woman looking at a photo album | Source: Midjourney
He stood in the doorway, confusion etched on his face.
I snapped the album shut. “Nothing. Just… reminiscing.”
“Reminiscing…” he repeated, frowning slightly as he glanced over my shoulder at the photo album on my lap.
I could see the questions in his eyes. Questions he didn’t ask. Just like I didn’t ask about the growing distance between us, or why he always changed the subject when I mentioned our new neighbors.
A concerned man | Source: Midjourney
Days turned into weeks, and my suspicions grew like weeds in a neglected garden. Every shared laugh between Jack and Lily, and every nervous glance when I mentioned the neighbors. It all fed the gnawing doubt in my gut.
One sleepless night, I couldn’t take it anymore. I rolled over in bed, facing Jack.
“Is Lily your daughter?” I blurted out.
The words hung in the air like smoke, acrid and suffocating. Jack’s body went rigid.
A woman lying in bed | Source: Midjourney
“What?” He turned slowly, his face a mask of shock. “Heather, what are you talking about? Where does this come from?”
“Don’t play dumb, Jack. The girls are identical. And you’ve been acting weird ever since Lily and her family moved in.” My voice cracked. “Just tell me the truth. Did you have an affair?”
Jack sat up, running a hand through his hair. “This is insane. Of course, I didn’t have an affair! I made a promise to you before God. How can you think I would break that?”
A man in bed | Source: Midjourney
“Then why won’t you talk about them? Why do you clam up every time I mention Lily?”
He hung his head. His silence spoke volumes. I could almost hear the gears turning in his head, weighing truths and lies.
“I can’t… I can’t talk about this right now,” he finally muttered, swinging his legs off the bed.
“Jack, don’t you dare walk away from me!”
But he was already out the door, leaving me alone with my thoughts and fears.
A bedroom door | Source: Pexels
The next morning, I woke up to an empty bed and a note on the nightstand. “Gone to work early. We’ll talk tonight.”
Classic Jack, avoiding confrontation.
I spent the day in a fog, going through the motions of normalcy while my mind raced. By afternoon, I couldn’t stand it anymore. I needed answers, and I knew just where to get them.
“Emma, sweetie,” I called out. “Why don’t you go play with Lily for a bit?”
A woman in her kitchen | Source: Midjourney
Emma eagerly ran off out the door. I waited an hour before I followed, my heart pounding. I knocked on the neighbor’s door, plastering on my best “neighborhood mom” smile.
Lily’s father answered, his easy grin faltering slightly when he saw me. “Hey, it’s Heather, right? It’s so good to finally meet you! Please, come in. I’m Ryan. Emma’s out back with Lily if you’re looking for her.”
“I am… could you call her, please?”
The moment Ryan’s back was turned, I started searching through his living room.
A living room | Source: Pexels
There were numerous framed photos of Ryan and Lily with people who generally shared Ryan’s dark hair and olive skin tones. His family, I guessed. But why were there no photos of Lily’s mom?
Come to think of it, why had I never seen Lily’s mom?
I peeked down the hallway. That’s when a large photo of a blonde woman hanging on the wall upstairs caught my eye. Without thinking, I hurried up the stairs.
“What are you doing?”
A shocked woman | Source: Midjourney
I turned and spotted Ryan frowning up at me. A million excuses whirled through my mind, but they all caught in my throat. I had to find out the truth.
“Is that Lily’s mom? Where is she?”
Ryan flinched. “Yeah… that’s Mary. She’s no longer with us.”
“Because of Jack?” I trotted down the stairs. “They had an affair, didn’t they? And that’s why Lily and Emma look so much alike, isn’t it?”
A woman near a staircase | Source: Midjourney
Ryan’s eyes went wide with horror and he shook his head. “God, no. Didn’t Jack tell you anything?”
“No! He didn’t,” I exclaimed. “But you seem to know exactly what’s going on here, so please, just tell me!”
“Mommy?”
Lily and Emma were standing at the end of the hall, worried looks on their near-identical faces.
Two girls | Source: Midjourney
“Everything’s okay, girls.” Ryan smiled at them. “Me and Heather are going to talk a bit so why don’t you guys go back outside and carry on playing?”
I nodded to Emma. “I’ll call you in a little while.”
The girls exchanged a wary look but didn’t argue.
“Come, sit down.” Ryan beckoned to me as he walked into the living room. “I’ll tell you everything, Heather.”
A man | Source: Midjourney
“First of all, Jack and Mary didn’t have an affair,” Ryan said as we sat across from each other. “The reason Lily and Emma look alike is because they both take after their grandmother. My Mary was Jack’s sister.”
“Sister?” I shook my head. “Jack never mentioned having a sister.”
“Mary was a troubled kid. The family disowned her. They didn’t even come to our wedding. Jack was the only one who even took the time to send a message saying he wouldn’t be attending.”
A serious man | Source: Midjourney
The room spun as Ryan’s words sank in. Jack had a sister I never knew about. A sister who was Lily’s mother.
“Where is she now?”
“She passed away last year,” Ryan murmured. “That’s why we moved here. I wanted Lily to have some connection to her mom’s family.”
I put my head in my hands. Everything I thought I knew about my life, about Jack, was crumbling around me.
A shocked woman | Source: Midjourney
“I’m so sorry,” Ryan continued. “I thought you knew. Jack… he’s been struggling with this. He feels guilty about not reconnecting with Mary before she died.”
I nodded numbly, my mind reeling. Jack came from a conservative family and I knew they’d had some arguments in the past, but nothing like this!
A familiar sound caught my attention. I looked up just in time to spot Jack’s car driving into our garage next door.
A car | Source: Pexels
“I… I need to go. Please, keep Emma here a while longer?”
Ryan had followed my gaze, but now he nodded. “Sure. You and Jack have a lot to talk about. She can stay here as long as you guys need.”
The walk home felt like miles. By the time I reached our front door, my anger had cooled, replaced by a hollow ache.
Jack was in the kitchen, staring out the window at the girls playing in Ryan’s backyard. When he turned to me, his eyes were red-rimmed.
A man standing in a kitchen | Source: Midjourney
“Heather, I need to tell you something—”
I held up a hand, cutting him off. “I know, Jack. About Mary. About Lily.”
His face crumpled. “I’m so sorry. I should have told you.”
“Why didn’t you?” The question came out softer than I expected.
Jack slumped into a chair.
A man in a kitchen | Source: Midjourney
“I was ashamed. My family… they like to think they’re good people, but the way they treated Mary… I couldn’t face it. Couldn’t admit that I’d abandoned my sister.”
I sat across from him, reaching for his hand. “But why keep it from me?”
“I thought I could protect you from that part of my life. Protect Emma.” He laughed bitterly. “Instead, I almost ruined everything.”
A sad man | Source: Midjourney
We talked for hours, Jack finally unburdening himself of years of family secrets and shame. With each revelation, I felt the distance between us shrinking.
As the sun began to set, Emma and Lily’s laughter drifted through the open window. Jack and I moved to watch them, two golden heads bobbing in the fading light light sunflowers.
I leaned into him, feeling the steady beat of his heart. The girls still looked like two copies of the same photograph, but now I understood the deeper truth behind their resemblance.
Two girls playing outside | Source: Midjourney
The girls’ near identical appearance wasn’t a sign of betrayal, but of healing: a second chance for a broken family.
Emma and Lily’s laughter rang out again as they twirled away in the backyard, and it sounded like a promise of new beginnings. And this time, the sound didn’t chill me. Instead, it warmed my heart.
Here’s another story: When Mara returns home early from a business trip, she expects to surprise her husband and son with gifts. Instead, she discovers her son lying on the floor and her husband absent. As the chilling truth unravels, Mara must make a life-changing decision.
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
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