Germany - At 62 years old, Rolf Buchholz has achieved a world record few others have come close to having verified. With the most body modifications in the world, he's truly a sight to behold.

Body modification is a very personal and permanent decision to make, especially when it comes to the more extreme examples.

From simple things like ear piercings and tattoos, to more complex and severe changes like internal implants, plastic surgery, and scarring, there are many stories and fascinating characters behind this unique form of self-expression.

So, who's the lucky fellow who holds the world record for being the most body-modded person in history? Who has the most body modifications in the world, and why does he have so many? Let's take a look.

With a total of 516 body modifications, including 481 piercings, a ton of tattoos, a split tongue, and more, Rolf Buchholz holds the world record for most body modifications in the world. In fact, this German native holds two mod-related records – most piercings in a single male and most body modifications in a male – both awarded by Guinness World Records.

A computer science professional, Buchholz has been knee-deep in the body mod game for more than two decades at this point, getting horns implanted into his head, almost 500 piercings, arm implants, a split tongue, dozens of tattoos, eye tats, and even magnetic subdermal implants on his fingers and in his arms and chest.

This has led many to refer to him as the "Devil," a fact which he shared with Guinness World Records in their exposé on him after he was granted his body mod world record. Out of his many piercings, 278 of them are on his genitals, where he also has 6 beadings. Still, he insists they didn't hurt.

Talking about his tattooed eyes, he expressed a great enjoyment of the deep black that they have become and gave some background on the process: "They put ink directly into my eye, I saw some people with tattooed eyes one time and I wanted it too."

He's very happy and proud of the Guinness World Record as well, but insists that he "didn't do it for the record" and that he gets all of his modifications because he likes them and they make him happy.

Rolf got his first tattoos and piercings in 1999, when he was 40 years old, starting his body modification journey because he "liked them." He began simple, with a few tattoos and piercings here and there, but then quickly started experimenting with more wild and innovative body mods.

"I think my most famous body modifications are my horn implants," he told Guinness World Records. "They are really big... Other than that I have a lot of implants, as you can see, on the arms and on the back of my hand. I also have a star under my chest."

He explained that he started getting body mods because he liked the look of them and then, as he got more and more, he found it fun and just kept going. Apparently, the most painful mods were not his genital piercings, as you'd expect, but his palm tattoos.

As he gathered more and more, he realized that he was beginning to challenge world record holders in body modification and extreme tattooing. "One day I saw I could break the record because I met other record holders and realized I had more piercings than them," he said.

Rolf Buchholz still stands as the undisputed world record holder to this day, after having his "most piercings" record verified in 2010 and his "most body mods" record verified in 2012. As of writing, he is 62 years old, marking 22 years of intense body modification.

"One day, I saw that I was a Guinness World Records titleholder. It was great to get the record, because it’s something special and I’m very proud of it. I didn’t do it for the record. I got the record at the end, yes, but I did the modifications for me."

It's worth being cautious about the decisions you make around body modification. These are very severe and permanent changes that will make profound differences to your life and future. If you are not prepared for these changes, then they will come as a shock and can become a problem.

One of the most common things to pop up when looking into extreme examples of body modification is the issue of addiction. From the Frenchman who wants to become a black alien or golden cyborg to the UK mom who has been banned from TikTok due to her tattoos, the common thread is a love of body art and a feeling like you need to continue.

It's worth being cautious of mental health concerns and to speak with medical professionals before proceeding. Additionally, extreme body modification can have severe impacts in of itself – such as the example of one tattoo addict who repeatedly gets referred to as "Satan" in public.

Of course, you should express yourself in whatever way you want. It's just important to be aware of the concerns and issues that surround body mods and tattoos before you proceed. These are permanent changes, so you should be fully informed.