Inked up: The risks involved in Leo Messi's new leg tattoo
Messi surprised the world with new tattoo work on his left leg, where he has had work done using the new blackout technique
Lionel Messi's newest tattoo which practically covers his entire left leg from ankle to knee was done with the 'blackout' technique, something that's growing in the tattoo world and sees people cover large surfaces of skin with a dark tint.
However, the technique has certain risks. "Currently the artists mix different tints and a totally black tattoo, that seems like it only consists of a base of carbon, could in reality include damaging ingredients," explained the dermatolgist Will Kirkby, specialist in tattoo removal, in Women's Health magazine. This type of tattoo is much harder to remove than conventional tattoos.
Messi took advantage of the break in play in La Liga to get the ink done by his official tattooist, Argentine Robert Lopez. In the design Messi kept the No 10, the ball and the hands of his son Thiago, but the rest is totally black.
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