One man from Australia has taken a fun challenge to see what he’d look like as a “normal” individual. Ethan has spent most of his life undergoing severe body transformations, starting by stretching his ears at age 11. The Duranbah, Australia man said he’s never wanted to look like anyone else and now has the majority of his body–including his face and eyes–covered in tattoos and piercing.

“People look at it like me getting tattooed and modified has a deeper meaning than it really does,” he says. “At the end of the day, I do all this to my body because I think it looks cool, and that’s pretty much the bottom line.”

The now 24-year-old had his tattoos covered for an episode on the web series “Transformed,” where he will surprise his partner Meg who has never seen him without his tattoos.

“I’ve only known him looking like this,” says Meg. “I can’t imagine him without tattoos, really.”

Ethan’s transformation takes a total of two and a half hours for makeup artist Suzi to complete. She starts by applying a pink toned layer of concealer to the exposed skin on his arms and face. Then, she goes over it again with makeup that matches his natural skin tone.

The only thing Suzi wasn’t able to change were the tattoos on his eyes, and of course the modifications he’s made to his ears and tongue. Ethan commented on the process feeling sort of like a massage.

“I already feel kind of naked,” he says after she has covered up his arms. “It’s a lot nicer than getting tattooed.”

After Suzi finishes her work, Ethan nervously prepares to see himself for the first time in years without being covered in ink. In the video he said his heart was racing and he hesitated before stepping in front of the mirror.

As he sees himself, he nervously laughs in shock. While he is fascinated by his change in appearance, he is quick to say he prefers his usual look. And lucky for him, Meg also prefers his tattooed appearance.

“He’s still good-looking, but I like him with his tattoos,” she says. “I wouldn’t change it.”

Watch the fascinating episode below!