Woman issues warning against 'cheap' home tattoos - fearing leg would be amputated due to infection

Samantha Lowen booked to have a floral tattoo on her left hip and thigh last month with an artist her friend recommended. But she says that what she hoped would be a flattering addition to her body turned into a painful two-and-a-half-hour ordeal.

The 21-year-old claims the artist used washing-up liquid to clean her skin, before dragging the needle and pressing hard into her flesh as he worked closer to her hip bone. Samantha said it felt like having acid poured on her skin during the sitting at her home, which she claims caused her to scream, cry and demand breaks.

Two days later Samantha, who doesn't work, says she woke up with a burning pain on her thigh, leaving her unable to walk or touch it. Wince-inducing pictures and footage show ink and pus apparently oozing from the £150 tattoo. Later that evening Samantha, who feared her leg would need amputating due to the infection, went to hospital for treatment.

There, doctors said she had a bacterial infection called cellulitis, which if left untreated can lead to sepsis or gangrene, and was prescribed a seven-day course of antibiotics. Now, Samantha is urging body art lovers against booking cheap inkings - claiming it's not worth risking your life for.

Samantha, from Rayne, Essex, said: One of my friends was going to tattoo me but she let me down on the day and sent him because she said he's good. He did everything as normal, but he was using this green soap that was just washing-up liquid, which he shouldn't have used.

When he started it was all fine, I was relaxed, but when he was coming more towards my hip bone he seemed to go a lot harder and deeper, dragging the needle. It caused me to scream and normally I'm really good with tattoos and pain. I nearly passed out when he was having it done. It was burning and it felt like I was having acid thrown over my skin.

We took a five-minute break and I managed to calm myself down, but I had to convince him to finish the tattoo because he said I was in such a state. He didn't cover my tattoo and didn't tell me how to do aftercare but luckily I knew because I have three other tattoos. The pain woke me up at 6am, not even two days later.

I tried sitting up and I couldn't sit on my left bum cheek, I tried standing up and couldn't even stand straight. I put cream on it and the pain became worse, I was shaking and crying and I couldn't even go near the tattoo. The ink was incoming out of my tattoo, the green and yellow stuff around it is where it's been infected.

I couldn't walk, any pressure on my leg was causing so much pain in my hip. I'm in so much agony, if I try to put my left knee to my chest it is agonising. While antibiotics administered at Basildon University Hospital in Essex have eased the pain, Samantha said she still has trouble walking.

A blood test is scheduled to find if the infection has spread to other parts of her body. Samantha said: My boyfriend said my leg could be amputated and I kept crying saying he's ruined my leg, I'm going to lose my leg. I was very scared they would cut my leg off, it was terrifying.

Another tattoo artist commented on my post saying it could affect my walking for life. The pain has gone down but I'm still struggling to walk. It feels like the ink is in my bone because of how my hip bone hurts. Samantha claims she asked for a refund but was refused one.

Tattoo fan Samantha said she's been looking forward to the tattoo for more than a year as she hoped it would make her feel better about her body. Samantha said: I don't have much money and I know people will go for cheap tattoos so I just want to say please wait and go to the shop, it's not worth risking your life for a tattoo.

I've got a lot of insecurities about my body and I thought the tattoo would make me feel better. Now it's put my mental health back down, I can't physically look at it. I just went with it and didn't do any research, I trusted my friend to tell me what to do.

I really wanted the tattoo and have been waiting for over a year, so I got impatient and wanted to do it. I have three other tattoos done in a shop and none of them turned out like this. I'll never do it again.

The tattoo artist has been contacted for comment and failed to respond.

WHAT IS SKIN CELLULITIS?

Cellulitis is a skin infection that's treated with antibiotics. It can be serious if it's not treated quickly. Cellulitis makes your skin painful, hot and swollen. Your skin may also be blistered. You may also feel unwell and have flu-like symptoms, with swollen, painful glands. Cellulitis is usually caused by a bacterial infection which can infect the deeper layers of your skin if it's cracked and dry. Sometimes the break in the skin is too small to notice.