There is no way a teenager could have fallen asleep as 56 stars were inked on her face, several tattooing experts have told ninemsn.
The case of 18-year-old Belgian Kimberley Vlaeminck has generated widespread attention this week after she claimed she asked for three small tattooed stars but woke up "mutilated".
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But tattoo and pain specialists have rubbished the teenager's story, hinting there is probably more to the tale than Ms Vlaeminck is letting on.
"No way in the world — not on a teenager's face, it's so tender," said Morag Draper, manager of The Tattoo Gallery in Adelaide.
"It would be like having a cat jump and scratch you when you were sunburnt — with claws out."
The face contains sensitive nerve endings that would make it virtually impossible to relax enough to fall into a sleep, according to cosmetic surgeon Dr Kourosh Tavakoli.
"The nasal tube, for example, is extremely sensitive … we know with collagen and Botox that even the tiniest needle can be very sensitive," he said.
"Unless she's heavily sedated, or maybe intoxicated, it's very hard to believe she could be asleep." (Watch more: Teen's face still raw)
Several other tattooists approached by ninemsn said they would have refused Ms Vlaeminck's job on ethical grounds.
"There is no chance in hell we would tattoo an 18-year-old girl on the face — it's a job-stopper," said Ilana Vandersluis from Skin Deep Tattoo in Sydney.
"She would've had to be pretty determined to have that job done."
The tattooist, Rouslan Toumaniantz, yesterday offered to pay half the cost of having Ms Vlaeminck's tattoos removed, but maintained he inked the teenager exactly as she had requested. (Read more: Tattooist backs down)
But Dr Tavakoli said it would be impossible for laser removal technology to repair the skin fully so the teenager did not retain some pigmentation.
"She'll basically be scarred for life," he said.
Ms Draper said a tattoo procedure involving that many stars would probably take around and hour-and-a-half, making it hard to believe the inking happened while Ms Vlaeminck's father ate an ice cream outside, as the teenager claimed.
The Adelaide-based tattooist says her studio refuses to do work on the face because it is so sensitive.
"There are veteran, seasoned customers who can zone out while being tattooed — but not on the face," she said.
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