Mum's holiday tattoo horror as foot almost amputated

Kirsty Griffiths had jetted off to stay at the four-star Mirage World Hotel in Marmaris, Turkey, on October 25 for a week in the sun with her family.

Before the trip, the 34-year-old had booked an appointment to get a new arm sleeve tattoo with her regular salon out there.

But after getting this inked, Kirsty spontaneously decided to get an existing design on her right ankle covered up with a new tattoo at a tattoo salon operating out of a rented outlet in the hotel.

During the inking on October 31st, Kirsty said the two-hour appointment was so painful she vomited and almost passed out but put this down to low blood sugars. (Image: Kennedy News & Media) During the inking on October 31, Kirsty said the two-hour appointment was so painful she vomited and almost passed out but put this down to low blood sugars.

Despite the pain, the mum-of-five said she was initially happy with the £130 design and didn't think anymore of it.

It was only when she woke up the following morning before flying home and found her right leg had 'doubled' in size that she knew something was wrong.

Horrifying photos show the stay-at-home mum's blue 'hand-sized' rose covered in blisters and scabs 24 hours after getting the new tattoo.

The tattoo enthusiast said she spent her four-hour flight home in agony and was rushed straight to Whiston Hospital in Prescot, Merseyside, after landing at Manchester Airport on November 1.

At the hospital blood tests reportedly revealed Kirsty had cellulitis in her ankle that had caused inflammation in her gallbladder and stomach and claims a surgeon feared her foot would have to be amputated.

Since being discharged from hospital, Kirsty is now raising awareness of her experience and says it has put her off getting another tattoo for life.

Kirsty, from Liverpool, said: "[In the appointment, the tattoo artist] started it and he did the outline first and when he was just about to finish the outline I started going dizzy and felt like I was going to pass out.

"I told him I didn't feel well and I got up and I couldn't see anything and I threw up.  He said it was because of my blood sugars and at this point I thought it might be.

"I had never experienced this in my life before. To begin with the pain was okay but it started to get more painful the more he was doing.

"It was the kind of pain that made you feel sick. I couldn't bear the pain and had to keep asking him to stop so I could breathe.

"I didn't realise he was going in too far with the needle and causing the pain.

"When I woke up in the morning my leg was double the size of my other leg and it was red raw and looked like there were blisters on my tattoo.

"My leg had swollen and there was fluid behind it which was the infection. On the plane I was in excruciating pain and crying for the four hour journey. It was the worst four hours of my life."

After spending four days on a ward hooked up to antibiotics and painkillers, Kirsty was discharged from the hospital to continue to recover at home.

Weeks on from the incident, she claims she is still walking with a limp and is having to take paracetamol every four hours to numb the pain.

Kirsty said: "I can't sleep through the night [at the moment] as I'm in that much pain and I can't put anything on it as it hurts."

Before flying home from Turkey, Kirsty says she visited the tattoo salon and also reported her infection to reception staff at Mirage World Hotel but claims neither will take responsibility.

After returning back to the UK, she says the tattoo parlour has contacted her on social media but claims they still do not believe the infection was caused by themselves.

Kirsty said: "I went back to the tattoo artist and said that it was infected and he said it was the numbing cream I had put on it.

"I used this cream on another tattoo a few days before and I was fine so I knew it wasn't this.

"There was a lack of remorse and he wasn't taking any responsibility. When I saw him he put ice and loads of iodine on it.

"I spoke to the hotel before I left and told them about the infection and they said they just hire the guys who rent out retail spaces in their hotel and it's not their fault so won't take any of the blame.

"I spoke to the tattoo artist before I left and he said it wasn't his fault it was mine. Since getting home, he has messaged me through Instagram and has not taken any blame. He is trying to put the blame on me.

"I feel stupid because usually when I go to Turkey I always go to the people I know to get tattoos and it was always fine.

"I didn't do my research or background checks on this person as I thought they were safe and I feel stupid. When it's in a hotel you would think they [the tattoo artist] would be okay."

Kirsty is now warning other holiday-goers about the dangers of getting a tattoo inked abroad and says people need to do their research before getting one done.

Kirsty said: "I would say to others thinking of getting a tattoo done abroad, you need to do your research and look into the person you are wanting to get the tattoo done by.

"It's dangerous and I wonder how many other people have been left like this. It's put me off getting tattoos all together."

When the tattoo studio were contacted, they claimed Kirsty wore socks following the appointment, which caused the infection.

The tattoo studio said: "It [the tattoo] wasn't bleeding at all during tattooing and I want to ask you if it's not bleeding during tattooing it means we have not put it in too deep.

"If it was too deep it would bleed during the tattooing. I told her to come back so we could clean it after one hour and put a sterile sticker on but she came wearing socks.

"She told me she used chemical numbing spray during tattooing. I have been tattooing for 25 years and I have experience but she did not tell me about the number spray during the tattooing.

"She wore socks one hour after tattooing. The next day when she came to see me, the sock was stuck to the skin so now do you want to believe her or my eyes.

"We have a camera in the shop and all tools are clean and sterilised. She wasn't well when she first had the tattoo done and I asked her many times if she felt okay."

Mirage World Hotel said they are not responsible for the 'quality' of the stores that they rent space to in their hotel.

A spokesperson from the hotel's guest relation team said: "First of all, we would like to express our apologies for this bad experience. Get well soon.

"We are not responsible for the quality of the stores we rent, we are not responsible for their quality.

"We will discuss the issue with the store owner, but unfortunately I can not help [the customer] with the fee and so on."