An Argentinian man desperate to have his tattoo removed just a week after having it done, used a cheese grater to scratch it off, even if it meant letting go of some of his skin in the process.

The 21-year-old man, who preferred to remain anonymous, opted for the unusual and most likely painful tattoo removal method two years ago, but a video and pictures of his arm, before and after, only just went viral, after one of his friends decided to post them online. A resident of the Argentinian city of Mendoza, the protagonist of the viral footage was located by local media reporters and was happy to share his motivation for using a cheese grater to remove a fresh tattoo he had had done on his wrist.

“I had the tattoo done and a week later I wanted to join the airport police. Although among the requirements on the website it is not mentioned, I was told that I could not work there with visible tattoos,” the unnamed man said. “This happened in August 2017, I was 19 years old at the time. The other reason I did that to myself was aesthetic. I am very keen on details and I did not really like how the tattoo was left. I searched on YouTube for ways to remove it. Firstly I tried with a pumice stone, but it did not work. Then I continued with the grater. It hurt and bled a lot. I had to bandage it a lot and apply disinfectant. A week later I went to the hospital and I had a tetanus vaccination.”

“It hurt and bled a lot. I had to bandage it a lot and apply disinfectant,” the man added, saying that he regretted his decision at first, and would not recommend the method to anyone.

“In that moment, I regretted it, of course I did. But when I saw it had gone a lot, I did not worry more. But I would not recommend it to anybody.”

Tattoo artists around the world have been commenting on this viral cheese grater removal method, and the general consensus is that you’re much better off sticking to the tried and true laser removal. It’s not exactly painless either, but at least it won’t leave a bad scar, or even worse, a crater-like wound.

 

“It is possible to have a mark your whole life. Doing it like this is worse because it gets stuck to the skin,” tattoo shop owner Diego Staropoli said.

“It was removed because the tattoo artist was s***. A well-done tattoo is not easily removed, You end up with a kind of crater,” another person commented.