05 February 2024 , 14:39
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A heavily tattooed cancer survivor has opened up about the stomach-churning procedure that saw him get both eyeballs injected with ink.
Quest Gulliford, who survived Hodgkin's Lymphoma, got his first tattoo in 2009 and has gone on to spend $70,000 (£55,000) on inking his entire body since.
Now, the mega-tatted Las Vegas star has opened up about the procedure that saw him get both his eyeballs blacked out as he revealed some shocking before-and-after snaps.
“It definitely took a lot of preparation mentally,” Gulliford told his TikTok followers. “It was definitely high risk, high reward, especially since I've wanted it done for so long... and I'm still very happy with it three years later.”
The inked-up influencer revealed the toe-curling procedure cost $10,000 in all, or $5,000 per eyeball. And it’s a good thing Guilford is pleased with his tattoo artist’s work as he revealed the procedure is irreversible.
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The influencer opened up to his followers about being diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma as a child
Quest has shared snaps of what he looked like after getting his first tattoo"This is a question: can you get your eyeball tattoos removed? And that's a huge no,” he said in November. “And that's why it took me six years to actually think if I wanted to get it or not. I actually got the contacts that everyone thinks I'm wearing now..."
Despite his decade-long experience with tattoos, getting his eyeballs inked was not easy, Guilford admitted. “It took me a long time actually on the day once I walked into the shop in Houston, Texas to even psych myself up to even get it done," he said.
The social media personality got his first tattoo in 2009, a cross on the left side of his chest with the words “God First” next to it, and would go on to get his first face tattoo at 18, much to his mum’s dismay. "When I got bigger ones... That's when she started showing up the shop and trying to talk the artists out of doing it,” he joked.
Several of his tattoos represent his battle with Hodgkin's Lymphoma, including a purple cancer ribbon. Opening up about his diagnosis and treatment, Guilford told viewers: “I had a big lymph node growing... I didn't think anything of it. It was about six months of chemotherapy. I kind of felt like a superhuman after that.”
Viewers were divided on whether they could go through with the $10,000 eye procedure. One TikTok user said: “Wow I really don’t think I could have a needle in my eye, it definitely takes some courage.”
While a second added: “That’s cool bro.” But a third questioned: “Why not just wear contacts?”
Quest told fans he is heading back to the tattoo parlour any day now to get more work done on his eyes.