An effort to cover up a skin condition has led to 55 year-old Julia Gnuse being named by the Guinness book of Records as the most tattooed woman in the world.
She has tattoos to 95 per cent of her body, including a tattooed face ...see photos
Also known as the 'illustrated lady', the Californian woman started tattooing her legs after developing porphyria, a condition which causes her skin to blister when exposed to the sun, according to the UK's Daily Mail.
The tattoos do not prevent her skin from blistering but they do prevent the scarring caused by the blisters from becoming visible.
Ms Gnuse said the scarring can go as deep as "third degree burns."
Medication was available for the condition but side effects included the risk of blindness.
A plastic surgeon friend intially recommended getting tattoos the same colour as her skin to cover up the scarring but it didn't work as it was hard to match her skin to an available colour.
Ms Gnuse was also more attracted to intricate designs and bright colours.
Once she started having tattoos she "became addicted."
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