I'm the most tattooed man in Britain – I spent 1,500 hours under a needle and almost lost an arm after my skin started rotting

An actor known as 'Britain's Most Tattooed Man' has revealed he is removing some of his 'risky' implants as he risks losing his entire arm.

King of Ink Land King Body Art The Extreme Ink-ite, formerly known as Mathew Whelan, regularly makes headlines for his heavily tattooed appearance, and has also modified his body with procedures such as the removal of his nipples.

The 44-year-old from Birmingham previously revealed how he gave up his body mod addiction in a bid to pay off his £66,000 mortgage – and now, a year later, he hasn't had any new ink.

In addition to putting the tattoo needle aside, he will also remove some of his modifications, including an implant in his hand.

King of Ink Land King Body Art The Extreme Ink-ite, formerly known as Mathew Whelan, regularly makes headlines for his heavily tattooed appearance

The 44-year-old previously revealed how he gave up his body mod addiction in a bid to pay off his £66,000 mortgage – and now, a year later, he has revealed he is still ink-free

“Unfortunately the skin has become thin on one side and I'm concerned it may tear,” said King Of Ink Land.

Britain's most tattooed man also shared how almost losing an arm – after his skin started to rot following an implant – helped him pass up the opportunity for further ink work.

'I don't want to end up in a medical situation again like I did a few years ago with my brass knuckle implant.

'Once again the skin tore, but then it began to rot and fill with plasma, which had to be drained several times.

'I still have a scar and [his arm is] slightly deformed, but this was removed in time before I was at serious risk of blood poisoning.

'That can't happen again because it almost cost me my arm, and this happened the same way – so I made the difficult choice to also remove this 'crown implant' before it's too late.

'I've also gone a whole year without getting tattooed and it doesn't even feel strange.

“It's no longer something I deeply crave or long for.”

King Of Ink Land, or Body Art for short, claims he has spent more than 1,500 hours under the needle, setting the record in February 2016 when he had 36 tattoo artists working on him at once.

King Of Ink Land, or Body Art for short, claims he has spent more than 1,500 hours under the needle, setting the record in February 2016 when he had 36 tattoo artists working on him at once

Since he started developing an interest in body modification at the age of nine, his eyes have been colored black, his nipples removed, his ears shaped and finally his aforementioned name changed to achieve his goal.

Although he hasn't kept track of the amount it has cost him so far, he says his recent break has helped him pay off almost £36,000 of his mortgage.

He said: 'My rate will soon increase significantly, but I am on track within my budget.

'Like many people, I am getting rid of a fixed rate, but hopefully I can get it fixed again in the future.

“I'm trying to stay reserved and disciplined about my budget plan so I can pay it off.

'I want to be mortgage-free for the next three years, and I'll be happy when that's over.

“It's life and priorities changing, so if it's paid for, an inking session will feel that much more special.”

Since he started developing an interest in body modification at the age of nine, his eyes have been colored black, his nipples removed, his ears shaped and finally his aforementioned name changed to achieve his goal.

He added, “I live by the abbreviation of my name, B Art, because I am an art in my life, regardless of what others say or think about my tattoos.

'My last ink was the beginning of the blackout style and I don't plan on doing much of this, but tattooing is a personal art collection for me.

“I want to be able to evolve them and change them if I want to, and then I black out and put another ink over them to achieve my end goal.”