Asabi Barner simply wanted a tattoo coverup done by her favorite reality-TV show. But she says she got more than she bargained for and is now scarred for life.
Barner, who lives in South Carolina, traveled to Harlem to have VH1’s Black Ink Crew cover up a breast tattoo she got when she was 18. In an interview with PIX11, Barber said that the tattoo looked fine after she got it done, but days later she was left disfigured.
Barner said that her breasts now have keloids and burns and that on a daily basis she has to apply an ice pack to keep from itching. She said the disfigurement has affected her self-esteem.
“In the intimate moments it creates a problem because you don’t have that confidence. I wasn’t overly confident before, but I felt good about myself. Felt good about my body, but it just changes you,” said Barner.
Barner says she was also told by a plastic surgeon that there was little that could be done to fix her damaged skin.
Barner has now filed a lawsuit against Black Ink. Sandra Radna, Barner’s attorney, says the shop was reckless, careless and negligent. “She’s making this trip from South Carolina to New York. She thought she was lucky to have the opportunity to be able to go someplace where they really knew what they were doing,” Radna stated.
PIX11 reached out to Black Ink and said it did not receive a response.