THE world's most tattooed people are almost unrecognisable in throwback snaps.
Forms of body art can be traced back to the Bronze Age but these barmy punters take tattooing to a whole new level.
King Body Art
Known as Britain's most tattooed man, the 42-year-old from Birmingham has sat in the tattoo chair for a staggering 1,000 hours since he was 16.
King Body Art, formerly known as Matthew Whelan, has more than 90 per cent of his body covered in tattoos.
He became inspired after a family holiday to New Zealand where he was amazed by the Maori people and their tattoo art.
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However, King Body Art said being a walking work of art comes with its downfalls.
He claimed he has been treated differently to his colleagues, being the only person removed from the office when managers would come to visit.
The Brit has plans for further modifications but his current mission is to undergo blackout tattooing.
It's when a major portion of the tatted area is fully filled in with solid black ink.
When it came to his favourite tattoos he said: "I would have to say my eyeballs inked on my arm, though I'm quite fond of my sclera stained ones which is more a dangerous surgical procedure.
"Also my skulls on my upper lower left arm because underneath we are all the same no matter what we look like."
DeeDee Villegas
DeeDee Villegas first went to a tattoo parlour at the age of 18 and from there became addicted.
The 30-year-old from Cebu, Philippines, claimed she got her first tattoos because of peer pressure during her undergraduate degree at the University of San Carlos.
DeeDee told The Mirror: "I got my first tattoo during my emo goth college phase, mainly due to peer pressure."
More than 70 per cent of her body is inked, which has set her back £20,000.
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In addition to her ink, DeeDee has 12 facial piercings.
Lucky Diamond Rich
Lucky Diamond Rich holds the world record for the most tattooed person.
Born Greg Paul McLaren, the New Zealander is believed to have every inch of his body covered in ink.
Afraid that his mother would disapprove, his first tattoo at 16 was a small juggling club hidden on his hip.
Two years later, he wanted to get tattooed as much as he possibly could.
He said: "Just one tattoo at a time I guess, that's how everyone does it."
Now 52, Lucky has spent more than 1,000 hours having his body modified by tattoo artists.
Becky Holt
At 34-years-old, Becky Holt claims she is the most tattooed woman in Britain.
With 95 per cent of her skin covered in tattoos, the Cheshire woman estimated she has spent £35,000 on body art.
Her first tattoo was her boyfriend's name on her crotch when she was 15.
All of her body art was hidden until she became more confident with her ink at 22.
More than a decade later the model turned interior designer now has hundreds of tattoos.
Tobias Müller
Zookeeper Tobias Müller began his tattoo journey about 15 years ago and has more than 300 extreme tattoos.
Born in Dortmund, Germany, the 33-year-old also has many body modifications that include a split tongue, four subdermal silicone implants, one permanent branding and an implanted magnet and chip.
He told Mail Online: "I was fascinated of pics of extremely inked and modified people when I was a kid.
"If you really want to get a tattoo, get it, its your body, your choice and your life, don't let some others do this choice for you.
"I really love my tattooed eye and one of my favourites of my normal tattoos is my 'Destroy Everything' over my eye."
Anthony Loffredo
Anthony Leffredo became a social media sensation after he documented his dramatic physical alterations.
The 33-year-old from France has more than one million Instagram followers.
He has covered his entire body, including his eyeballs, in ink.
The Frenchman has also removed both his upper lip and his nose in a bid to look like a "black alien".
