A woman from Ohio, whose mugshots went viral for her frightening skeleton and cobweb face tattoos, has revealed a startling turnaround after enduring arduous laser treatments to erase the ink.
Alyssa Zebrasky, 31, made headlines for the first time in December 2018 when she was jailed in Ohio for stealing and cocaine possession.
Her booking photo displayed a spider web tattoo on her forehead, as well as a Day of the Dead-inspired skull artwork around her eyes, cheeks, nose, and lips.
In April of 2019, Zebrasky and her morbid tattoos were once again in the news after she was arrested again.
Now, however, more than three years later, after finishing a drug court program and rehabilitation, Zebrasky has turned her life around.
In an effort to move on from her ex-boyfriend, she has opted to remove all of her facial tattoos as part of her healing process.
Zebrasky stated that she agreed to acquire the gruesome body art more than four years ago, when she was in a toxic relationship with her then-partner, who was a gang member she desired to join. Her partner advised her to acquire face tattoos in order to fit in with the group.
According to Kennedy News, the woman endured two difficult acupuncture sessions in June 2018 and emerged looking like the stuff of nightmares.
Zebrasky was arrested three times within six months, including an altercation with her ex-boyfriend that culminated in a brief police pursuit that was attributed to his “needing the restroom.”
After undergoing therapy, Zebrasky felt desperate to permanently erase the tattoos, so she resorted to the Texas-based organization INK-nitiatve, which assists individuals in removing unwanted body art in order to begin a new life free of shame.
Zebrasky stated that her ex-boyfriend, who was a member of a gang, had urged her to get the tattoos in 2018, including the Day of the Dead motif.
Zebrasky has been documenting her ink removal journey on social media, with the support of her family and her new partner, with whom she is in the “healthiest relationship” she has ever had.
“I’m just disappointed in myself when I look back at those photographs,” she remarked of her viral mugshots. “However, I must recall that I had not before worked on myself or attempted to learn how to love myself as I have now.
“Therefore, I am proud because change is possible, as are healing and learning new things. I enjoy being able to observe my personal development throughout time.”
Although Zebrasky has tattoos all over her body, she only wants to remove the ones on her face and hands due to their relationship with her ex, who she claims pushed her to have the tattoos – and even chose the Dead of the Dead design.
“Initially, I replied no, but he persisted in bringing it up. “[I now feel it was] so that no one else would want me,” she explained.
The Ohio woman claimed that her then-boyfriend only visited her twice while she was incarcerated.
“I must consider this each time I look in the mirror,” she remarked. I began to recover mentally from what I went through with him.
The 31-year-old machine worker said that people staring at her makes her feel uncomfortable.
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Zebrasky began the arduous de-inking procedure at the Pittsburgh Removery in October 2019 as part of her ambition to feel “normal” and be perceived as such by others.
“I go inside a store, and people stare at me. It makes me feel uneasy,” she remarked in a testimonial posted on the website of the tattoo removal facility. “I wish to be regarded as a normal person. I live my life just like anybody else.”
It was estimated that Zebrasky would require twelve 20-minute sessions to clear her face.
She stated, “When I initially started visiting, they did my cheeks, forehead, and hands because, similar to a tattoo, your body can only recover so much at once.” Now that the cheeks have been removed, we will begin work around the mouth.
Zebrasky will need twelve 20-minute treatments to completely remove the tattoos from her face.
According to Zebrasky, the process of cleaning the ink from the nose has been particularly agonizing.
“The initial pain from the laser feels like a rubber band snapping on your skin,” she added. “After that, it’s painful for 30 minutes.”
She continued, “It welts up afterwards and there’s some discomfort, almost like if you spilled oil from the stove on your hand; that’s the closest I can get to describing how it feels on my hands.”
Becca, a Removery technician who has been employed by Zebrasky, noted on the company’s website that her client originally “intimidated” her.
She stated, “I’ve never seen that many tattoos on someone’s face.” We did not know her background or why she was incarcerated. However, Becca quickly realized that the 31-year-old was “kind” and “amusing.”
Zebrasky stated that she has now “accepted” her face and thinks that by being open about her experiences, she may be able to help others in a similar circumstance.
“For a very long period, I did not feel free. Zebrasky stated in her testimonial that she felt compelled to live a specific manner due to her addiction and self-harm. “I no longer feel compelled to live in such a manner. I can now live my life without restriction.”
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