birth_place name birth_date known_for residence article_title birth_name
flint , michigan the illustrated lady 1959 most tattooed woman in the world foothill ranch , lake forest , california julia gnuse
 julia gnuse
julia gnuse

julia gnuse , commonly known by the nickname the illustrated lady , born in 1959 , has 95 % of her body -lrb- including her face -rrb- covered in tattoos and holds the guinness record for being the most tattooed woman in the world .
in her mid 30s , gnuse developed porphyria , a condition in which sunlight results in blistering of the skin .
as the blisters often result in scarring , she began getting tattoos as a way to cover up the scars , which can get as deep as third degree burns .
a friend of gnuse 's who was a plastic surgeon had suggested she get her skin tattooed in a pale skin tone color , similar to the color of her scars .
this was attempted but did n't turn out the way they had hoped .
the tattoos do not prevent the skin from blistering as they are purely aesthetic .
instead she decided to try colorful tattoos , consisting of a variety of themes including : her favorite cartoons , her favorite actors and even a self portrait .
gnuse has starred on the tv show ripley 's believe it or not .
she also had a small role in aerosmith 's music video for their song pink .
she currently resides in foothill ranch , california .
