A woman whose mugshot went viral for her heavily tattooed face is undergoing gruelling laser treatment to blast the inking off – in a bid to forget the ex-boyfriend who she was arrested with.

Alyssa Zebrasky underwent the elaborate Day of the Dead tattoo four years ago, while in a relationship with an ex-partner who also had elaborate face inkings.

The 31-year-old from Cleveland, Ohio, got a spider web on her forehead as well as black shading around her eyes, nose, cheeks and lips in two arduous sessions in June 2018.

Alyssa found herself in police custody three times in six months, including one incident with her ex that resulted in short police chase, which they blamed on him “needing the bathroom”.

But after completing a drug court program and rehab, Alyssa has turned her life around and is forced to cover the tattoos under layers of foundation and concealer.

Alyssa’s whole face was covered in a Day of the Dead tattoo. Credit: Kennedy News/Mahoning County Sheriff’s office

Desperate to permanently ditch the inkings, Alyssa is now undergoing a laser removal process by charitable program The INK-nitiative, in Austin, Texas.

With support from her family and new partner, with whom she is in “the healthiest relationship” she’s ever been in, Alyssa is documenting the removal journey on social media.

“Looking back at those pictures, I just feel disappointed in myself,” Alyssa said.

“But I have to remember that I hadn’t worked on myself or tried to learn how to love myself like I have now.

”So then I feel proud because change is possible and healing and learning new things are possible.

“I like being able to look back and see my personal growth.”

Alyssa during the process of getting her face tattoos removed. Credit: Kennedy News and Media

Alyssa is slowly removing her face tattoos. Credit: Kennedy News and Media

Despite sporting tattoos all over her body, heavy machinery worker Alyssa only wants to zap the ones on her face and hands due to the association of them with her ex.

“We (my ex and I) were having a conversation one day and he said ‘You should get your face tattooed’,” she explained.

”Initially, I said no and then he just kept talking about it.

“(Now I believe it was) so nobody else would want me.

“He picked it (the design) out. It was a Day of the Dead sugar skull, it was my whole face.

“He was covered from the top of his head to his feet (in tattoos), I’m guessing he wanted us to match.”

Alyssa is undergoing painful laser treatment to remove the tattoos. Credit: Kennedy News and Media

Alyssa had the inkings done in two sessions in June 2018, claiming she was supposed to have even more done but they never happened.

After her mugshot went viral first in October 2018, and again in 2019, Alyssa turned her life around and decided to ditch the face tatts.

“My mugshot went viral. I’d gotten dragged on social media, everybody was saying really, really mean things about me and I didn’t even get a chance to say my side of the story,” she said.

In that six-month romance, it was a whirlwind which suddenly became darker.

Alyssa is undergoing gruelling laser treatment to blast the inking off. Credit: Kennedy News and Media

“While I was in jail … he maybe visited me twice,” she said.

“I have to think about that every time I look in the mirror. I started healing mentally from all the stuff I went through with him.

”I went through a drug court program and I went to rehab and I changed.

”Now, every time I look in the mirror I’m reminded of what I went through.”

Alyssa started the removal process in October 2019 and was told she’d need 12 sessions.

“When I first started going, they did my cheeks, forehead, and hands because like a tattoo your body can only heal so much at once,” she said.

Alyssa before getting her Day of the Dead tattoo. Credit: Kennedy News and Media

“Now the cheeks are gone but we haven’t started around the mouth yet.

“The cheeks were fairly painless, but I have gotten my nose done once and the nose hurts pretty bad.

“Each session is 20 minutes, the sitting session is way faster than a tattoo itself.

”The initial pain from the laser I would relate to having a rubber band snapping against your skin, that’s what the laser feels like and then like afterwards it’s sore for 30 minutes.

“It welts up afterwards and there’s some pain almost like if you spilt oil from the stove on your hand, that’s the closest I can compare to what it feels like on my hands.

“On my face, it doesn’t so much burn but (there’s) swelling.”

Alyssa before getting face tattoos. Credit: Kennedy News and Media

As the tattoos get blasted off her face, Alyssa says she’s now “accepted” her face and hopes that by being honest about her experiences she will help others in a similar situation.

“I used to cover them up when I’d go visit my family,” she revealed.

“My mum told me I don’t need to cover them any more which was nice.

“(My family) have been supportive through the whole thing, they understand I was in a vulnerable place.

“I’m currently in a relationship, I’ve been with him for 10 months now and it’s the healthiest relationship that I’ve ever been in in my entire life.

“As much hate as I do get on TikTok and social media, I don’t really pay attention to it.

“I could be helping someone in a similar situation, it could be drug addiction or they went through something really traumatising and they want to see somebody else who got through it.”