I paid £200 for a huge leg tattoo but was left in hospital unable to walk after things went seriously wrong

A mum who paid £200 for a huge leg tattoo was left unable to walk after things went seriously wrong in hospital.

Shyann Johanneson, 26, had her right thigh tattooed with a design featuring an eye, clock, compass and rose in April last year.

6

6

6

But despite the artist having previously done a number of other tattoos for her, this one did not go to plan.

Mum-of-four Shyann says she was in pain and struggling to walk within hours before her leg started “oozing” and smelling like “rotting flesh”.

The artist reportedly blamed her for using numbing cream, but Shyann claims doctors said the ink had been pushed too deep into her skin, causing the infection.

The infection, which was most severe in the darker infected areas, then developed into sepsis, putting her at risk of needing a skin graft.

Sepsis occurs when your immune system overreacts to an infection and begins to damage your body's tissues and organs.

Luckily for Shyann, the wound healed after a grueling three-month recovery period and she has now shared gruesome photos of her ordeal.

Shyann, from West Yorkshire, said: “When the tattoo was first finished it looked absolutely beautiful, it was one of my best tattoos, I was so happy with it.

“I gave birth to four children without pain relief. The pain makes me stubborn, but within 12 hours the pain was so bad I couldn't even walk, it was that bad.”

Shyann added that she was put to bed “in agony” within four hours, describing it as “the worst experience of my life”.

She continued: “He butchered my leg. It was literally oozing and rotting, it even smelled like rotting flesh. It got to the point where I was so bad I felt like I was going to die.”

And she claims the plastic surgeon said the tattoo artist had “gotten way too deep into my skin”, causing sepsis.

Shyann added that if she hadn't been so reactive in seeking medical attention, she doesn't believe she would have kept her leg.

The mother was prescribed antibiotics and pain relief for the 'oozing' wound after visiting her doctor the day after her tattoo.

When the pain continued to worsen a day later, she went to St James's University Hospital in Leeds, where she said doctors confirmed she had sepsis.

Shyann was given IV antibiotics to fight the infection and says she started feeling better over the next 48 hours.

But she had to return to hospital every three days for dressing changes as doctors warned she might need a skin graft.

After two months of check-ups, her leg showed signs of improvement and she was discharged with supplies to self-care and clean the wound before it fully healed a few weeks later.

6

6

6

She also claims that the tattoo artist told her for “weeks” that he would pay her back before blocking her out of the blue.

The mother-of-four added: “After chasing him for months, the lawyer emailed me and said, 'We can't do anything because the man isn't even registered as a tattoo artist and he has no insurance.'

“He said on social media that he was a certified tattoo artist. You don't really think about that when someone says, 'I passed XYZ' and his tattoos are good too.”

Despite acknowledging that she violated tattoo aftercare advice, Shyann claims the ink “was already infected.”

Shyann said: “I've had a lot of tattoos, where I jumped in the bath that night to get rid of the blood and ink, and every other tattoo was fine.

“But there was no way I could submerge this one, let alone wash it, because it was so painful.”

The student now hopes to warn other tattoo enthusiasts to carefully examine artists and ask for proof after leaving them with serious scars.

Shyann said: “My skin is literally paper thin to the point where it's a year and a half later and I'm still too scared to get it touched up.

“Before getting tattooed, make sure you've seen their insurance and qualifications because things can really go wrong. In my case, they did.”

The tattoo artist was repeatedly contacted for comment but did not respond.