American woman smashes records for most tattoos and body modifications EVER

Counting 89 body modifications and 99.98% of her body covered in ink, Esperance Lumineska Fuerzina is officially the woman with the most tattoos and most body modifications in history.

Decorated from head to toe in beautiful designs, the 36-year-old Army veteran from Bridgeport, USA, turned her body into a moving canvas that follows the theme of “turning darkness into beauty”. 

Her tattoos extend to her hands and feet, the scalp, and extremely delicate areas such as her tongue, gums, sclerae (the white outer layer of the eyeballs) and genitals.

Her first record, most tattooed person (female), was verified in Tijuana, Mexico, on 22 September 2023. 

Now, together with USA pro-skater Kanya Sesser and TikTok sensation Apollo, the genius parrot, Esperance is one of the stars of Guinness World Records 2025: an outcome she thought impossible when she began her body mods journey.

“I feel both honoured and surprised about joining the Guinness World Records family,” Esperance confesses. 

“I grew up admiring the Guinness World Records books and record holders as a child and I am blown away to be featured in one now,” she said, proudly holding her official Guinness World Records certificate. “I am so grateful.”

Esperance realized that she could be the most tattooed woman in the world almost by chance.

It all started after an acquaintance mentioned the record in passing, igniting her curiosity and prompting Esperance to look up the record to beat. 

After a quick research about fellow American and tattoo fanatic Charlotte Guttenberg, Esperance realized she had already long surpassed Charlotte's record.

In 2017, the Florida-born tattoo enthusiast was declared the most tattooed woman on the planet, sporting a whopping 98.75% of her skin covered in ink and intricate patterns.

“I was initially a little apprehensive,” Esperance confesses looking back at the application stage, “but I wanted to try to showcase the strength of women, and what's possible, by applying for the record myself.”

Esperance in high school, aged 17

Coming from a military family, Esperance spent most of her youth moving around the South of the United States. She also lived in Japan for three years.

After that, following in her family's footsteps, she joined the Army as a medical service officer. 

“I’m now a retired Army veteran,” she explains. “The creative flow mostly came after the military, but perhaps the lack of it while in pushed me towards it!”

She also manages the pain of her intense tattooing sessions with meditation.

"It's just a small moment for something I can keep for life," she says.

Esperance took her first step into the world of body modifications when she was only 21: a little symbol connected to her first partner's family.

Although that first drawing on her left hip was quickly covered up by her third tattoo, a bright and majestic phoenix, it sparked a love that has accompanied Esperance ever since. 

She knew right away, then, that she loved tattoos and wanted more of it. 

“I usually allow the artists a lot of creative freedom once I have found one whose style I am comfortable with and inspired by,” she explains. 

“I do some of my own tattoos, but I mostly fill right now.”

Almost 10 years after her first tattoo, Esperance’s long-term project aims to create a cohesive work of art with bigger artworks and body mods that flow harmoniously together. 

Rather than focusing exclusively on the single pieces, she looks at the bigger picture.

“In terms of my body being covered, it is still hard to imagine a set ending,” she explains. “For many years, now, I've been moving towards more cohesiveness in my suit and that is still an aim of mine.

“I still feel that some things don't flow as well, so my first objective is making those work better with the whole and then continue to build from there.” 

“For me, bigger and more cohesive is better,” she explains.

Because of that, she also doesn’t have a favourite tattoo overall: “My aim for many years has been moving towards cohesiveness, so ultimately I love the flow being generated as a whole.” 

Furthermore, with 89 body alterations, the Army veteran greatly surpassed the previous record for most body modifications (female) - a title that had remained unbroken for over a decade. 

Esperance snatched the title with 40 body mods more than the previous holder, the Mexican Maria José Cristerna, who broke the record in 2012 with 49 body mods and extensive tattoo coverage.

Before her first body alteration, Esperance had already experimented with body suspension several times.

Esperance's first body modification was a split tongue, in 2014.

Ten years and two world records after that first split tongue, Esperance's remarkable body mods range from "classic" body piercings to more creative alterations, such as tissue-stretching mods and tattooing her eyeballs and gums. 

At the time of writing, she flaunts 15 subdermal implants, several facial mods such as septum and lip piercings, and she removed both her nipples.

She has injected her split tongue with ink, as well as her gums, and her collection includes five facial implants.

Some of the most delicate areas of her body have been altered, too, with 18 genital piercings and inner labia dyed by ink injections.

“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,” Esperance confesses. 

Thoughtful and creative,  Esperance's journey to turn "dark times into light" also shines through her character: she advocates for kindness and acceptance and is always looking for new ways to grow as a person.

“Kindness is very important to me," she explains, "and I try to live that in my life.” 

Sadly, although she encourages the people around her to be kind and find happiness in their true self, Esperance has encountered some negativity and rude comments because of her appearance. 

In her free time, Esperance loves to travel: a hobby that, of course, influenced some of her tattoos. 

“Many of my tattoos are from other countries and are memories I can always take with me,” she explains. 

She also enjoys art and is constantly honing her artistic skills.

“I gravitated towards larger sculptures in the past, but right now I'm trying to learn and grow with drawing. I always want to keep learning and being creative in some way.”

Looking at the future, Esperance would also like to dabble in advocacy work and get more involved in her local community.

After volunteering extensively at animal shelters and within HIV organizations, she aims to continue spreading her message of kindness and acceptance to the less fortunate.

But becoming a record holder is just the beginning of Esperance’s journey.

The Army veteran confesses that the future might hold more record titles for her – even unexpected ones! 

“I've only considered records related to tattoos and body modification,” she says, “but perhaps I could work on this secret project I have ideas for and come out of left field with a completely different sort of record.”

In the meantime, she is already planning her next tattoo.

"Of course, I am not done!"

Meet Esperance inside Guinness World Records 2025 – out in September.
Find out here where you can secure your copy.