I’m inked all over. As a result, I’m barred from cafes and Christmas events.
A mother with over 800 tattoos said her Christmas was ruined after she was denied entry to a pub.
Melissa Sloan of Powys, South Wales, gets tattooed at least three times a week and even tattoos herself with a £120 ink gun she purchased on Amazon.
The mother-of-seven received her first tattoo when she was 20 years old and has since covered much of her face and body with various hues and symbols, previously telling Femail that she did it to cope with the effects of her brother’s childhood abuse.
The 45-year-old alleges she has dubbed the school ‘Crayola’ and has been barred from Christmas celebrations.
Melissa claims that her tattoos have made it difficult for her to socialise throughout the holiday season.
I’m inked all over. As a result, I’m barred from cafes and Christmas events.
‘I want to enjoy myself and go for a drink at the pub, but they won’t even let me in,’ she explained.
‘I’m covered with tattoos; I have 800 in total. I get three tattoos a week. ‘I even tattoo myself at home.’
Despite several illnesses, the tattoo addict swears she will never stop tattooing her body. She claims her skin has peeled off as a result of unhealed tattoos, leaving her with scars.
Mellissa went on to say, ‘I will never stop having tattoos until the end.’
Although some of her tattoos were done by professionals, several were done by her partner Luke, 56.
She also stated that two of her primary-school-aged children have placed their own embellishments to her back.
Melissa previously stated that her ‘prison-style’ tattoos were preventing her from finding work.
‘If someone offered me a job tomorrow, I would go and work – I would take that offer,’ she said of her job search.
‘I expected this in life; I can’t fit in with people since I like to be myself and will always be myself.’
In May, the mother said that her tattoos were a technique for her to cope with sexual abuse as a youngster at the hands of her elder brother.
Gavin Sloan, 46, was sentenced to 21 years in prison earlier this year for a series of heinous rapes and sexual attacks on other youngsters.
‘My tattoos help me cover the emotional scars left by Gavin,’ Melissa explained.
‘They are my mask, and behind them I hide from the world. But now that he’s in jail, I can start to feel free.’Melissa believes that authorities did not take her complaint seriously and that he was never charged with the alleged crimes against her.
