Woman uses tattoo machine bought on Shopee to ink herself

As an art student in her 20s, Ms Lea (not her real name) was fascinated by Japanese paintings.

One day, she bought a tattoo machine online for under $80 to ink The Great Wave Off Kanagawa on the underside of her forearm and on her fingers.

"At the time, I felt professional tattoos were too expensive, so I decided to do it myself," said Ms Lea, now a 31-year-old graphic designer.

She bought the machine - complete with needles and ink - on Shopee.

Tattoo artists often practise on pig skin but Ms Lea skipped that step.

"It wasn't practical for me to get pig skin, so I tattooed directly on myself," she said.

While she found the process manageable, certain areas, like her fingers, were more painful.

Alone at home, she carefully went over her design multiple times to darken the ink in her skin.

Although some friends have asked her to tattoo them, she didn't feel confident enough to ink others.

For years, Ms Lea hid her tattoos from her family, wearing long sleeves or positioning her arms strategically.

When questioned, she claimed they were temporary.

Eventually, she confessed to her mother.

"She was upset but just told me not to get more," Ms Lea recalled.

"Back then, I didn't think much about it. I just told myself I could repent later," she added with a smile.

Now married and more mature, Ms Lea has no regrets but no plans for additional tattoos either. When asked if she would consider tattoo removal, she hesitated.

"I saw a friend go through tattoo removal - it's long, painful, and difficult. For now, I'd rather not."