Brisbane, Australia - Coated in a layer of black ink, spruced up with a bewildering variety of patterns, symbols, and images, Lucky Diamond Rich is more than just an ink fan – he's the most tattooed man in the world!

The world's most tattooed man has spent more than 1,000 hours under the needle, covering himself in layer upon layer of ink.

A fan of body modification to boot, this guy is more than meets the eye – which is already quite a lot!

It's time we take a look at the world's most tattooed man in the world!

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How many tattoos did it take to set this world record, why did he get the tattoos he so adores, and what else is there to know about this striking ink addict?

Greg Paul McLaren, who likes to go by Lucky Diamond Rich is the world's most tattooed person. With most of his body coated in black-gray ink and a variety of (mostly) tasteful designs, you would be surprised to learn that he was granted the title by Guinness World Records.

To avoid falling into crime, the street performer and artist from Brisbane, Australia first joined the circus, garnering himself a love for the absurd and extreme. There, he learned how to swallow swords, juggle chainsaws, and perform in front of a crowd. Of course, that love of extreme things also lent itself to physical changes he has made to his body.

His tattoos were a reaction to the growing popularity of his circus act, which saw him not only performing in Brisbane, but right across the world. He became very popular, a personality people seemed to enjoy, and he even got given the nickname "Diamond."

Speaking to Guinness World Records in the above-linked profile that he did with them when they gave him the award, Lucky Diamond Rich explained "I guess I'm lucky by nature; to be able to juggle a chainsaw, to be able to swallow swords, ride a ten-foot unicycle."

"Diamond came about because my friends call me a bit of a rough diamond, and Rich because I’m rich in spirit."

Other than being completely covered head-to-toe in tattoos, Lucky has piercings all over his bodies, stretched earlobes, and more. Indeed, he has so many tattoos that he needs to layer them on top of one another or accept the reality that there's nowhere else for them to go.

Over the years, it is estimated that he has spent more than 1,000 hours on these tattoos. He described it as being a gradual process that evolved "Just one tattoo at a time," in that same interview he gave with Guinness World Records.

As the tattoos evolved, though, they seemed disjointed. In response to this reality, he opted for his very first "bodysuit" tattoo at the young age of only 28. The tattoo covered his entire body, and has since been touched up time and time again with new tattoos and layers.

"How many tattoos do I have? I have one, and it's the biggest one on the planet," he told Guinness World Records. "I've had more than one layer of ink and in some areas it's three or four layers."

For the few of us so in love with body art that our bodies no longer have the space left for future tattoos, there is a pretty harsh but effective alternative - body modification. It might seem a bit drastic, but the likes of the Black Alien Project and Remy often cover their body in alternative art, reinventing their tattoos, or get a variety of implants and mods to help them feel more like themselves.

It's all about self-expression, but it's important to end by noting the irreversible nature of these decisions. People who cover their bodies in this many tats, or go as far as cutting off limbs for the purpose of self-expression often find it difficult to get and keep jobs and develop strong interpersonal relationships. On top of that, many countries have banned such drastic body modifications.

Still, this way of life isn't going away anytime soon, so we might as well celebrate its weird and wonderful practitioners!