ARLINGTON, Texas, May 11 (UPI) -- A Texas body modification enthusiast said he broke a Guinness World Record by receiving 1,197 piercings in a single day.

Jeremy Stroud said Arlington body modification artist Tyson Turk spent about five hours May 2 inserting 800 needles into his back, 300 in his right arm, 50 in his leg and about 20 in his left arm, the Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram reported Monday.


He said the needles were removed at the end of the day but they left scars all over his body.

"They're so close together that they leave a line. It kind of looks like I had stitches from my wrist all the way up to my shoulder," he said.

Stroud said two emergency medical technicians were on hand during the record attempt as well as a witness and a photographer to support his bid to make it into the record book. He said the original plan was 2,000 piercings, but the pain from the needles eventually started to catch up to him.

"I made it to 1,200 and my body was getting ready to shut down," he said. "I had no idea what I was getting into."