A disastrous mistake looked set to cost Kimberley Vlaeminck more than her looks after the young Belgian had 56 stars tattooed on her face.
Last summer she was preparing to shell out £9,000 for laser surgery and said she hoped to have the design removed by the end of September.
But, almost three years after the 21-year-old decided to go under the needle, the constellation shows little sign of fading.
[...]
Miss Vlaeminck said
she avoided going out in public because the tattoos made her feel like a 'freak'.
But a week later she confessed to a Dutch TV station that she had been awake throughout and had indeed asked for the full 56 marks.
She said she lied because she was afraid of how her father would react.
Even still, Mr Toumaniantz - whose own face is covered in tattoos and piercings -
offered to pay half the cost of laser removal, saying he did not want to leave a customer unsatisfied.
He later retracted this offer, leaving Miss Vlaeminck to cover the cost alone.
Though laser treatment has been shown to be a effective way of removing ink,
even the most advanced technology would leave white marks across her face.
According to Belgian media, Mr Toumaniantz said he did not regret tattooing Miss Vlaeminck, adding that it had given him publicity.
He has since started asking all his customers to give written consent to his designs.
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