"I had no memory of getting the tattoo because I had gone out celebrating and it happened when I was drunk. Waking up the morning after, I thought someone had used a permanent marker on my face.
"When I first came home, obviously I was subject to a lot of stares, but I kind of got used to the tattoo and decided not to get rid of it."
But after another night out where he was mocked by people at a pub, he changed his mind.
"The next morning I really started to think about what my family and friends thought. I didn't want them to be embarrassed when they were out with me, so I decided there and then I was going to get it removed."
He has since spent two years having what the owner of the laser clinic he visited called one of the worst tattoo blunders she's ever seen.
The treatment, which comprised of six sessions, has left him with some non-permanent turquoise markings.
He said on his first visit to the clinic, he made it clear he wasn't entirely sure he wanted the tattoo removed.
"I had seen some horror stories and some friends have scars in the place where they had tattoos removed. If there was a chance of scarring there was no way I was having it done."
But after trialing the treatment on a 'test patch' of skin he proceeded with the full removal.
"All I can say is that the whole process was amazing," he added. "There is no scarring, and when friends who haven't seen me for months come over, they always notice something is different. When they realise the tattoo is gone, they are shocked about how well the treatment has worked."
- nzherald.co.nz
