I’ve spent £193,000 on tattoos, now I’m getting them lasered off

It’s been a decade since 30-year-old Amber Luke last saw her face without any tattoos.

Intricate ink spreads the entire length of her body, covering 98% of her skin’s surface, and has cost her £193,500 since she first set foot in a tattoo parlour aged 16.

The Brisbane local rose to online fame thanks to her unique look, earning the title of ‘Australia’s most tattooed woman’.

But now, she’s having second thoughts.

Amber recently began laser treatment with the aim of removing 36 tattoos from her face by 2027, claiming her motivations for the face ink didn’t come from the right place.

‘I was 20 when I wanted to hide my face,’ she says. ‘I truly didn’t see my natural beauty. I was a broken, lost soul.’

The Aussie model continues: ‘As I’ve got older I’ve got more resilient and I feel like I can see my beauty finally – that’s self evolution.

‘I have started to truly love myself and appreciate the way I look.’

However, despite her decision to get rid of the facial artworks, Amber says she ‘will never regret’ having them done.

‘Everything I’ve endured and have done to myself has been for a damn good reason and the right timing in life – I truly believe that,’ she explains.

‘But it’s been 10 years since I’ve seen my face. I’m excited to reunite with her again.’

While tattoo removal can range from £30 to over £200 per session (with up to eight sessions required) Amber says ‘beyond grateful’ that her tattoo removal is being sponsored by Xanadu Laser Therapies in Springwood, Brisbane, since she’s an ambassador for the brand.

The process is far from easy though – in fact, she describes it as ‘gnarly’.

Amber explains: ‘I don’t use numbing cream for any of my removals or tattoos in general; therefore the feeling [of getting them removed] is as intense as it can possibly be.

‘The laser zap on the thin skin of the face burns and it also stings mercilessly. Your face is distorted and swollen for up to four days after.’

As well as tattoos, Amber has piercings and body modifications, including tattooed blue eyeballs (which left her blind for three weeks), horns, and a split tongue. But it’s the eight dermal piercings in her face that will cause a problem for some of her laser removal.

‘I will have to get these cut out of my face surgically before removing the remaining face tattoos at the end of the journey,’ she says.

This is because the metal can absorb the laser’s energy and heat up, burning the surrounding skin, it could also scatter the laser to the wrong parts of the skin, and block the removal of the ink beneath.

Despite speculation, Amber insists that she’s removing her face ink for herself, not because of judgement from others.

‘I feel like society has a veil over its eyes, and it’s a judgement veil,’ she says on TikTok.

‘Honestly, people judge what they don’t understand. If they take one look at me, it’s usually a look of disgust. When you walk down the street the stares are ridiculous but you can’t take it as a negative.

‘The scrutiny that women face with face tattoos in today’s society is ridiculous. [But] removing all 36 face tattoos [isn’t] due to scrutiny, I’ve outgrown those tattoos.’

Despite her aim to get the face ink lasered off, Amber still has plans for new tattoos on other areas including her left hand, which is currently healing from blackout work.

She has no plans to stop spending on her ink work anytime soon.

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.