This Woman Got Tattoos in Place of Her Toenails and Instagram Can't Cope

Rosy Cherrington
These toe tattoos are taking over the internet. [Photo: Instagram/timbecktattoos]
These toe tattoos are taking over the internet. [Photo: Instagram/timbecktattoos]

A woman’s toe tattoos have been shared hundreds of times on Instagram after they were turned into a meme, but the true story behind her body art is very different from what the edited image claims.

The viral meme claims the woman got her toenails removed so that she could get the tattoos in their place — this isn’t true, and the artist behind the tattoos has taken to the web to share the real story:

“They were removed surgically when she was young due to a medical condition that made her nails go ingrown constantly,” tattooer Tim Beck wrote on Instagram.

No toenail. One of the more unique ones I've had to do. This was 4-5 years back.

A post shared by Tim Beck (@timbecktattoos) on Jun 1, 2017 at 5:46am PDT

Beck revealed that he tattooed the first flower around four or five years ago, and that she came back at the start of June this year to get a matching one on her other toe.

“It was fun to do for her!” he said. “Definitely unique.”

Tattoos for people with missing toenails are not uncommon, with some opting for colored “nail polish” instead of traditional tattoo designs.

Semi-permanent toenail reconstruction is another popular option, created using a specialized prosthetic gel and lasting four to six weeks. And now we know that tattoo flowers are a gorgeous option too.

Read more from Yahoo Beauty + Style:

Facebook, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. For Twitter updates, follow @YahooStyle and @YahooBeauty.