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Maia Lee to remove her body tattoo in order to find a good man
- Thread starter Alamaking
- Start date
I'm going to remove my 30 tattoos
by Tan Kee Yun
REGRET. Regret. Regret. Regret. Regret.
It was a word local singer-actress Maia Lee used no less than five times throughout our hour-long interview.
The 27-year-old former Singapore Idol finalist, whose wild-child reputation is entrenched in many minds, told The New Paper yesterday that she wants to remove every single tattooon her body.
And the petite artiste has lots of them - on her back, her arms, her legs (and some in places we can't reveal).
By her own count, she has 30 tattoos, collected over the years since she was 16.
So the big question: Why?
Especially since she has been living well with them for so long.
Looking solemn, Lee insisted she was sincere and that there were several reasons behind her decision.
They collectively boil them to the fact that she is "past the old, rebellious phase of my life".
"When I was younger, I didn't care what people thought of me," said Lee.
"To me then, tattoos were extremely addictive. After getting one, you'd feel shiok and satisfied, then you'd quickly want to get another."
The single mother of two - son Tyrese is eight and daughter Julka is two - said she was now a changed woman.
"I am sick and tired of people judging me," she said. "Once, when I sent my girl to her church nursery, a staff member told me bluntly to cover up my tattoos as other parents disliked the sight of them.
"The old me would have ignored such comments and simply retort, 'This is me, like it or not.'
"But now, I really want to move on. I know things would be a lot easier if I didn't have all these tattoos on me."
It was a similar situation whenever she picked up Tyrese at his school, Lee added with a sigh.
"When his friends see me, they'd tell him things such as, 'Wah, your mum got tattoo' or 'your mum is a gangster'.
"The reality is, there is still a social stigma against tattoos - people just look at me differently."
So she slowly grew to hate all the ink on her body as it impacted her personal life and desire for a long-term relationship, she said.
"Seriously, it's very hard for most decent guys to take a gal like me home to meet their folks," said Lee, whose last boyfriend - and the father of Julka - was professional fighter Zidov Dominik of reality show The Contender Asia fame.
Her older son Tyrese was from a previous failed relationship.
"I've had exes who didn't dare let their parents know of our romance because of my tattoos.
"Also, there were those who eventually found me a disappointment...they look at my tattoos and conclude that I'm the partying, fun-loving sort. But I am the opposite because I don't club."
Now, she hopes to find a "holy" man who can "look beyond the superficial".
Lee converted to Christianity in 2008 after a group of Christian friends supported her through her second pregnancy.
A member of New Creation Church, she especially yearns to get rid of two visible tattoos, one on her right arm and one on her back, both pictures of Thai Buddhist temples.
On impulse
"I got them on impulse in 2007, when I was very into Thai Buddhism," she recalled. So is she acting on impulse again in wanting to remove her tattoos?
No, Lee insisted. She had thought about it for 11/2 years and is also thinking of her career.
"They inevitably restrict the roles I can take on," said Lee, who signed with film production company Kelvin Sng Productions in December2009.
"I don't want to be stereotyped as the bad girl any more." Lee had previously played a leader of all-girl gang Red Butterfly in a local short film, The Gang.
Mr Kelvin Sng, 36, Lee's manager, said: "Over the past 11/2 years , it has been really difficult for us to cast her, be it for films or advertisements."
"There were times when she fitted the bill perfectly, but alas, there was only one problem, her multiple tattoos."
Mr Sng added that the company fully supported Lee's decision and would even "partially finance" her tattoo removal sessions.
Lee is now looking for a suitable aesthetic doctor to execute the laser treatment.
Is she aware that it would be a long, painful and costly process. And even then, she may not be able to remove all her tattoos.
"Yes, I know that not all of my tattoos can be removed," she said. "I'll accept what my doctor advises."
Lee insisted that she was mentally - and physically - prepared for the pain.
"I actually tried laser removal five years ago when I wanted a small tattoo removed," she said.
"For just a single tattoo, you'd need five to six sessions. The pain was excruciating - it was like someone holding a hot metal rod against my skin."
With a chuckle, she said that she "chickened out" after one session.
"Instead of going back for the rest of the laser sessions, guess what? I went to get another tattoo over the same spot to cover the original one!"
Again, she insisted that she had changed.
"The desire to remove (my tattoo) wasn't strong back then, I was quite half-hearted," she said.
"Now, I'm truly determined. I'm prepared to do it over three to four years, or as long as it takes, so it wouldn't be so financially taxing." She even hopes her story would be a cautionary tale to youngsters who see tattoos as "an act of coolness".
"Don't start on it, that's what I'd advise them," said Lee.
"Tattoo artists aside, I haven't met anyone who does not regret being tattooed."
She added that she used to love tattoos due to "a lack of self-confidence" and "having no outlet to express myself".
"Most people, myself included, got our tattoos because we had major issues.
"We felt empty inside and there seemed to be no other way other than tattooing our skin. I needed the pain to feel alive."
After a pause, she added: "That was the old me. I know I don't need that kind of pain any more."
Feelings can be kept inside
MAIA Lee said of the sailboat and nautical star tattoo (left): "This was done in early 2007 and dedicated specially to my dad as he used to be a sailor.
"I love him very much and I knew he wouldn't approve of me getting a tattoo for him, but I went ahead anyway.
"On the sailboat, I also tattooed the birth dates of my son Tyrese and I."
Lee decided to remove this tattoo also as she now knows she doesn't need to express herself by inking her skin. Instead, "feelings can be kept inside".
Removal painful & costly: docs
TO REMOVE 30 tattoos from one's body is a long-drawn, painful and costly process, doctors told The New Paper.
"I've had heavily tattooed patients in the past, but none who wanted all of them removed.
Most just wanted (to get rid of) one or two," said Dr Chow Yuen Ho from TCS@ Central Clinic, a clinic specialising in aesthetic treatments.
However, removing up to 30 tattoos is "possible", but the patient has to be "well-informed".
"If I have a patient like Maia, I'd make sure she is absolutely certain she wants to do it before I start any sessions," he said.
"She has to know that tattoo removal is a very painful process, a lot more painful than putting a tattoo onto one's skin. It is also very time-consuming and she has to stay committed."
As part of the communication with Lee, he would also tell her frankly if a tattoo can or cannot be removed.
Light pulses
Laser treatment works by producing short pulses of intense light that pass through the top layers of the skin to be selectively absorbed by the tattoo pigment.
This laser energy causes the tattoo pigment to fragment into smaller particles that are then removed by the body's immune system.
Dermatologist Dr Cheong Lai Leng, who works at Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre, said that while black tattoos respond well to laser therapy, green ones are slower to react.
"As for yellow and orange tattoos, they are virtually impossible to remove."
There is also the risk of scarring, added Dr Cheong.
Dr Kevin Chua, who owns Drs. Chua & Partners at Alexandra Village, said that a single tattoo that was tattooed eight to 10 years ago would need an average of 12 laser sessions to be removed safely.
Each laser session takes minutes, but sessions should be a month apart.
"If the patient does his or her sessions too agressively, there might be consequences, such as the permanent whitening of the skin.
Patients like Lee have to be prepared to fork out a big sum of money, should they want to remove all their tattoos.
"One laser session ranges from $200 to $1,000, depending on the size of the tattoo," said Dr Chua.
I'd gladly sacrifice my career for baby
LOCAL singer Maia Lee is going to be a mother again.
She is four months' pregnant with her second child.
The single mum has a 6-year-old son, Tyrese, from a previous relationship.
Although a recent ultrasound scan proved inconclusive, the 25-year-old former Singapore Idol contestant believes she's most likely having another boy.
But it's a pregnancy that has been fraught with uncertainty from the start.
The father of the baby is Croatian fighter Zidov Dominik, who is based in Koh Samui, Thailand.
The heavily-tattooed 27-year-old is taking part in The Contender Asia, a reality series in which 16 professional muay thai exponents slug it out to win the US$250,000 ($345,225) prize money.
Known for his aggressive fighting style, Zidov is the 2006 Swiss Sanda Champion and the current Swiss Muay Thai Champion.
The series was filmed in Singapore last year and is now airing over AXN (StarHub Ch 19) on Wednesday nights. The live finale is at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on 12 Apr.
When contacted over the phone, Zidov acknowledged that the baby is his.
He said he would be in Singapore on 8 Apr as he is appearing in a rematch at the finale.
STILL GOOD FRIENDS
Although he admitted that he and Maia are no longer in a relationship, he claimed they are still 'good friends' and will 'talk more' about their situation when he is in town.
On impending fatherhood, he told The New Paper: 'Yes, I'm feeling good about it. Of course, I was surprised (when Maia first told me she was pregnant).
'I asked her what she wanted to do about it, and she said she wanted to keep it. After thinking about it for a while, I agreed.'
Zidov said he will 'definitely' be returning to Singapore in September for the baby's birth and to register his name on the birth certificate.
He added that he would like to be involved in the baby's life 'as much as possible' and that he would like to 'see it a lot' after it is born.
But he has no immediate plans to move to Singapore, saying: 'My career in fighting is (on an upswing), so I'm focusing on that. And it's where the money's at.'
PROVIDE FINANCIAL SUPPORT
Even though Zidov hasn't given Maia any money for pregnancy-related medical expenses, he said he is open to providing financial support in future and will discuss it further with her next month.
Maia said the couple first met last September in Singapore during the filming of The Contender Asia, but got together only in November when he returned to Thailand.
They dated exclusively for a month, and she insisted it was a 'serious' relationship.
She discovered she was expecting in mid-January.
'At first, I felt joy, but then fear set in because I didn't know what Zidov would do. He was far away, and I wasn't sure about our status.
'I definitely wanted to keep the baby because I am against abortion, and he was okay with it.
'I was also fearful because I had music projects in Thailand, but now the producers have put everything on hold (because of the pregnancy).
'But I would gladly sacrifice my career for my baby.'
The ex-lovers talk once a week, during which Maia updates him about the pregnancy.
All she wants from Zidov is for him to 'have a relationship with the child, not with me, because it needs a father figure'.
She added: 'There's a possibility I might be relocating to Thailand in future for work, so we'll be in the same country.
'If he can help out and contribute financially, it'll be good and in the best interest of the child. But if he doesn't, I can still handle it, because I've never lived off men anyway.'
Maia said Tyrese has always been bugging her for a sibling.
She said: 'I kept telling him my factory was not working, but one day, I told him it's working again.
'He's excited, but I don't think he can understand where babies come from.'
She has since shown Tyrese a photograph of Zidov, and identified him as her unborn child's father who is 'overseas' and cannot be with them.
And when she broke the news to her father and sister, whom she's living with in a three-room HDB flat in Bedok North, they were neither upset nor happy.
'They said that no matter what happens, they know I'll make things work and they respect my decision.
'Anyway, I'm an adult and I'm not dependent on them financially.
'My dad was more concerned about my health because he knows my pregnancy was a difficult one.'
Maia said she went to the hospital five times because she was bleeding severely and had cramps. She was worried about suffering a miscarriage and has spent about $1,300 on medical expenses.
'It's more stabilised now, but the morning sickness is still killing me.'
Since late January, Maia has also suffered a loss of income, but declined to reveal exactly how much.
Because of her delicate condition, she has had to cancel gigs that require her to perform uptempo numbers and exert herself on stage.
MISSED CHANCES
Maia - whose only stable income now is from her Celebrity Star Blogger stint for The Straits Times' online portal Stomp - said: 'I haven't been working much, and I can only accept gigs that are not too strenuous.
'I know it's a pity that I've to let slip certain chances, but they can always happen again. I choose life over money. My pregnancy is more important.'
Isn't she concerned of what the public will think of her becoming a single mum again?
She said: 'Initially I was, but I can't hide my pregnancy for long. And there's no need for me to hide, because I'm happy.
'At the end of the day, I can answer to myself and the people I love.'
She also said she doesn't harbour any 'bitter or negative feelings' about getting herself into this situation.
'I did love Zidov and I don't regret that. And having a baby is definitely not something I regret too - I think it's heaven's blessing.
'Both of us are free spirits, and this is a good growing experience.
'I just have to learn to accept whatever comes my way and be responsible for my actions.'
so her father unable to foretell Maia future?
Look at the old man's fuck face. One look and u can tell that he is a conman.
Reconstruction? Haha...that's like asking the surgeon to transform a HDB flat into the Taj Mahal! U sure know how to joke bro!
Anyone interested?? lol
Politely decline. :o
You are spot on Bro Cooleo... Got this m&d at my old neighbourhood.. earning less than 1.2k per month as a mechanic.. Debts here and there.. He can't even survive on his own but he stupidly willingly accept a divorcee with 3 young kids..
hi there
1. bro, this is m&d culture.
2. the more the merrier mah!
3. and most probably, when one of kids grows up.
4. the m&d can take her or him raw.
5. all these up in his mind!
More like a small-time SS chap.
买一送二,有买有送
tmd
tmd
Even as a fuck buddy also quite cui. Imagine seeing so many tattoo. Like fucking an animal! Girls should have nice milky clear skin ma. NB....she think she is acting in this show....
actually i am keen to know if where else she has tattoos...in the nether regions down south?
Still politely declining................. :o
aiya...acutally if u knoe her in person, she is a nice and kind-hearted girl lah...she is a volunteer in one of the social service centre in Tampines lah...i met her a couple of times becos my mom is also a volunteer there......spoke to her before and she is very friendly and cheerful, dress conservative whenever she is at the social service centre.....from wat i observe, the old folks all like her very much....so i hope she can find a good man lah....maybe after her wild days in the past, she has repented lah....
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