‘Most tattooed woman in the world’ with 99.8 percent of body covered shares what she looked like before

One minute you're getting a small symbol inked on your skin in a place that no one ever sees, and the next, your being crowned the 'most tattooed woman in the world'.

What a whirlwind the last ten years or so have been for Esperance Fuerzina, eh?

The army veteran, from the US state of Connecticut, has a whopping 99.8 percent of her body covered in ink because she treats her skin like a moving canvas, which has a running theme of 'turning darkness into beauty'.

She sort of uses her figure a bit like a diary, which documents all of her life experiences on it...so if you see her with a Guinness World Records themed one some time soon, don't be too surprised, as she's just earned two.

Her decision to document her life onto her body via art stemmed from her being in the military, as she's used to travelling light - so instead of hauling around photo frames and trinkets with her, it seemed easier to just whack it all on her skin.

Esperance Fuerzina is the woman with the most tattoos and most body modifications in history (SWNS)

Growing up in a military family, the world record holder spent a large chunk of her young years living in various parts of the South of the US, while she also lived in Japan for three years.

Esperance said: "I have had a pretty nomadic life, and not much room in my [army] pack, I felt I could take this with me wherever I go. It's just a small moment for something I can keep for life."

As a result of this, Esperance now has tattoos from her scalp right down to the soles of her feet, including in a string of sensitive areas such as her eyelids, eyeballs, gums, tongue and genitals.

On top of all this ink, the 36-year-old has a hefty 89 body modifications too, which earns her a second world record.

Esperance is now the woman with the most tattoos and most body modifications in history.

She split her tongue in two back in 2014, before really going to town with the alterations to her appearance.

These days, the US woman has 15 subdermal implants as well as several facial mods such as septum and lip piercings.

The former medical service officer, 36, has 99.8% of her skin covered in ink as well as 89 body modifications (SWNS)

But Esperance has also undergone really wacky modifications too - such as removing both of her nipples, injecting her split tongue with ink...and doing the same to her inner labia. Ouch.

"I think it's obvious I'm not trying to adhere to traditional beauty standards, and that can be both liberating and also something many people don't understand and can be negative about," she said of her unusual appearance.

So, when you see an image of what she looks like underneath all the intricate designs which drench her skin as well as her facial implants and piercings, you're probably going to be quite shocked.

The smiling 17-year-old with long, dark hair barely resembles Esperance now - but yep, that's her alright.

Discussing how her tattoo obsession started, the army vet explained that she had got her first inking when she was 21 years old, which was a small symbol in tribute to her then-partner's family.

She looks unrecognisable now in comparison to her 17-year-old self (SWNS)

The former medical service officer later covered her first tattoo up with a stunning design of a Phoenix, which made her realise she preferred bold inkings which were cohesive with one another - resulting in her current appearance.

"It is still hard to imagine a set ending," Esperance continued. "For many years, now, I've been moving towards more cohesiveness in my suit and that is still an aim of mine. For me, bigger and more cohesive is better."

The inked-up former military woman says she has learnt to manage the pain of tattoos and modifications with meditation.

It's a pretty good job Esperance has found a way to cope with it too, as she's planning on somehow getting even more.

She added: "To be the most tattooed woman and to have the most body modifications feels a little crazy, I am grateful and excited for the future – and of course I am not done!"

I'll bet the tattoo artist she chooses is going to have a field day with that 0.2 percent of space left on her body, eh?