I love my tattooed body – but people say I look like a criminal
A firefighter who has 90 percent of his body tattooed has said he can’t imagine life without being inked — despite critics saying he looks like a criminal.
Andreas Stauffiger, 44, from Zurich, Switzerland, has more than 100 tattoos on his body, ten piercings, tattooed his eyeballs and split his tongue.
The pastry chef and volunteer firefighter estimates he has spent around £26,000 on his ink over the years.
Andreas has always enjoyed getting tattoos and body modifications, he started as soon as he could, a few months after his 18th birthday.
He opted for a dolphin tattoo on his upper right arm. He says he loves this tattoo and would “do it over and over again.”
Andreas Stauffiger, 44, from Zurich, Switzerland, has more than 100 tattoos on his body, ten piercings, tattooed his eyeballs and split his tongue
Andreas said, ‘My last mod was the split tongue and my last tattoo was a little dragon, it’s so fresh it’s still healing.
‘My transformation started 26 years ago, but it is far from finished. I don’t think it will ever be finished, I imagine always having some adjustments done.
“I currently have ten piercings, six more are planned now, I have an unknown number of tattoos. It’s almost a complete bodysuit. I think it’s over 100 single tattoos on my skin.
‘If I had to put a number on it I would think I spent £26,000, but that’s just a number, the actual amount is unknown.
Andreas said ‘I currently have ten piercings, six more are now planned’, here he is pictured with clamps on his back
The pastry chef and volunteer firefighter got his first tattoo a few months after his 18th birthday
While it hasn’t always been easy, Andreas has drawn criticism for his inky body – some people even liken him to a criminal.
“Most people tell me they are a bit skeptical of me at first because of my looks, but that’s usually only when they get to know me better. And that’s totally okay. I am a very calm person, it is almost impossible to make me angry,” he said.
‘Children look at me with wide open eyes and say ‘who is that’, they have real wonder, so children are often more accepting.
“Older people seem to like me and are very open to body modifications.”
“When I’m in my firefighter uniform and on duty. The victims or civilians don’t pay attention to my ink at first, usually it comes much later,” Andreas said
The 44-year-old said: ‘They’re unique because the first time they see there’s something different about me isn’t always right away, some people just don’t catch my ink eyes’
But when he saves lives, it seems that at first glance people do not pay attention to his tattooed body.
“When I’m in my firefighter uniform and on duty. The victims or civilians don’t pay attention to my ink at first, usually it comes much later,” Andreas said.
“I don’t get treated differently in a rescue and I think it’s because of the uniform and the helmet.
“I think in a scary situation it’s really easy for them to overlook all my ink they can see. My experience is that victims are just happy with help.’
With 90 percent of his body tattooed, Andreas says he likes to push his limits. that could happen?
The inked person said, “I don’t get treated any differently on a rescue and I think it’s because of the uniform and helmet”
The pastry chef is pictured here before his ink transformation, which he believes happened over time
“I always felt like a normal boy, before and now it’s normal for me, my tattoos, piercings and mods are mine now, I can’t imagine life without it.”
Andreas has undergone many body modifications and it hasn’t always been a painless process.
Some of his adjustments can be a bit unsettling, even for those closest to him.
He said, “Weirdly, the eyeball tattoos were very easy for me during the procedure. That didn’t hurt at all, a few days later it’s more annoying.
“The tongue gap was very rough, because of the swelling. It is not possible to eat or drink anything for about three days, it is even difficult to talk.
With 90 percent of his body tattooed, Andreas says he likes to push his limits. Pictured: Andreas participating in a martial art
Andreas said he couldn’t eat or talk for three days after his tongue split and it’s hard to speak
Andreas said: ‘My father and mother were never happy about it, but they accepted me and my decision to do it’
“I think my face tattoo and my eyeball tattoos are probably the ones I get the most comments on.
‘My face tattoo is very polarizing, usually people are surprised the first moment you meet me. Once they know me better they are more fascinated and open to asking questions about it.
“My eyeball tattoos are very special. Often I hear ‘I really like it, I would never dare, but I really like it’.
“They’re unique because the first time they see something different about me isn’t always right away, some people just don’t catch my inky eyes.”
He said: ‘My face tattoo is very polarizing, usually people are surprised the first moment you meet me’
The volunteer firefighter says he plans to have six more piercings done and already has ten
Andreas opted for a dolphin tattoo on his upper right arm as his first modification. He Says He Loves This Tattoo And ‘Would Do It Again Anytime’
Andreas said, ‘My mom died of cancer and we never really talked about it. It still bothers me to this day’
He said, “Weirdly, the eyeball tattoos were very easy for me during the procedure. That didn’t hurt at all, a few days later it’s more annoying’
Speaking of citizens’ reactions to his tattoo when he’s on duty as a firefighter, he said, “I think in a scary situation it’s really easy for them to overlook my ink for them to see.” in the photo: Andreas during a fire drill
“You now see me and my ink, piercings or alterations all at once. But for my parents it went little by little.
“My mom and dad were never happy about it, but they accepted me and my decision to do it.
“However, my face tattoo was difficult for both of them to understand. My mother died of cancer and we never had a real conversation about it. It still bothers me to this day.
“My father has accepted me, he also sees that I live my life, I have a job and I am a member of the community.”