A Colombian man has had his nose cut off, ears mutilated and eyes tattooed on his face so his head can look like a skull.
Tattoo artist Kalaca Skull, real name Eric Yeiner Hincapié Ramírez, has been undergoing extreme surgical procedures to make his face look like a skeleton for the last two years.
The 22-year-old says he had been fascinated by skulls ever since he was a child, but only started making his face look like a skeleton after his mother’s death because she did not approve of the extreme body modification.
Kalaca Skull has been undergoing extreme surgical procedures to make his face look like a skull for the last two years
The Colombian tattoo artist had the lower half of his nose removed and most of his ear lobes cut off, then hollow shading inked around his eyes to complete his extreme look
After splitting his tongue in half and tattooing it to a blue-grey colour, Kalaca then had large black eye-sockets tattooed around his eyes
During the painful procedures Kalaca had the lower half of his nose removed and most of his ear lobes cut off.
After splitting his tongue in half and tattooing it to a blue-grey colour, he then had large black eye-sockets tattooed around his eyes.
Large teeth and even the hollow space between the mandible and maxilla was then shaded in ink around his mouth.
He also shaved his hair into a mow-hawk style to show off his head tattoos.
Kalaca Skull was the first person in Colombia to voluntarily have his nose and ears mutilated, a decision that attracted both the attention of the media as well as a lot of criticism from the general public.
His Instagram account has pictures of him getting tattoos and posing with fans in the streets.
In other social media posts he poses with Colombian newspapers whilst smoking and shares meme comparing himself to ‘scary’ cartoon characters.
Despite hitting headlines across South America, Kalaca insists he is getting more ink to complete his nightmare look
The 22-year-old poses with fans on social media (left) and before his most recent facial ink was finished (right)
One of the reasons Kalaca says he chose to make himself look like a skull was that it is a look we ‘all share underneath our skin and in death’, he told Rio Noticias website in Colombia.
He said: ‘Body modifications are a personal decision and should not be judged.
‘It is like judging a woman for getting breast or buttock implants. For me, a skull is like my sister, a part of my family really, I feel very attached to them.’
He added the surgery was a ‘dream come true’ and despite hitting headlines across South America, says he has other procedures planned to complete his transformation into a ‘living skull’.
On social media Kalaca poses with an animal skull (left) and (right) before he had more face tattoos completed
One of the reasons Kalaca says he chose to make himself look like a skull, was because it is a look we ‘all share underneath our skin and in death’
Kalaca admits his unusual appearance makes a lot of people uncomfortable and some even cross the street when they see him so they don’t have to pass him face-to-face.
He added: ‘I am a normal person who just happens to look a lot different than most other people.
‘It’s like a different way of thinking, of dressing, a different style of music. I just feel good the way I am.’