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Featured Image Credit: Kennedy News and Media
Topics: Life, Sex and Relationships
Lucy Devine
A woman has revealed the results of her painful laser removal after having a skull tattooed on her face and hands.
Alyssa Zebrasky, from Cleveland, Ohio, had a colourful Day of the Dead skull tattooed over her face four years ago while in a 'toxic' relationship with her ex partner.
You can watch a video of her progress below:
Following the tattoo, Alyssa was arrested - and ended up having her mugshot taken - three times in six months.
After attending rehab and a drug court program, she's since committed to turning her life around and has been attending a number of laser sessions in order to remove the tattoo.
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"Looking back at those pictures, I just feel disappointed in myself," Alyssa said.
"But I have to remember that I hadn't worked on myself or tried to learn how to love myself as I have now.
"So then I feel proud because change is possible and healing and learning new things are possible. I like being able to look back and see my personal growth."
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Alyssa was able to sign up to 'INK-nitiative - a charitable programme in Austin, Texas - where she can have the tattoos removed, but it's not an easy or quick process, and is very painful.
In the video, she describes her hands as hurting 'pretty f***ing bad'. She also said that she has been struggling with pain across her face too.
"When I first started going they did my cheeks, forehead, and hands because like a tattoo your body can only heal so much at once,” she continued.
"Now the cheeks are gone but we haven't started around the mouth yet.
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"The cheeks were fairly painless, but I have gotten my nose done once and the nose hurts pretty bad.
"Each session is 20 minutes, the sitting session is way faster than a tattoo itself."
Describing what the laser removal feels like, she added: "The initial pain from the laser I would relate to having a rubber band snapping against your skin, that's what the laser feels like and then like afterwards it's sore for 30 minutes.
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"It welts up afterwards and there's some pain almost like if you spilt oil from the stove on your hand, that's the closest I can compare to what it feels like on my hands.
"On my face, it doesn't so much burn but [there's] swelling."