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More than 200 tattoo artists from around the world gathered in the Venezuelan capital Caracas to show off their skills.

As well as conventional tattooing, the Venezuelan Expo Tattoo event also featured under-skin implants and piercings.

Among those attending was Mexican lawyer Maria Jose Cristerna whose obsession with body art began with a small tattoo to celebrate her divorce.

Several years on, the hobby has grown into a near obsession, with her body almost totally covered in images, dozens of piercings, and several metal implants in her skull.

She has been dubbed Mexico's "vampire woman", a nickname which started as a biting insult but which she has since taken to heart.