When you see Rolf Buchholz today, with horn-shaped implants protruding from his forehead, hundreds of piercings glinting across his face and body, and nearly every inch of his skin covered in tattoos, it’s hard to imagine that he once led a quiet, conventional life behind a desk. But that’s exactly where his journey began — in a calm office in Dortmund, Germany, where he worked for years in the IT department of a major telecommunications company. He was the picture of normalcy: educated, well-spoken, and reserved. The kind of person most people would never give a second glance.
But even then, Rolf says, he felt a pull — a quiet yearning to break free from the mold. It wasn’t rebellion for the sake of rebellion. It was something deeper: a need to express parts of himself that didn’t fit within the gray walls of a corporate office. And so, when he turned 40, Rolf made a decision that would change the course of his life. He got his first tattoo.
That tattoo lit a fire inside him. Soon after came a piercing. Then another. What started as a subtle transformation quickly evolved into a full-blown passion — or, as some would say, a lifestyle. Over the years, Rolf underwent hundreds of procedures. He didn’t just decorate his body — he transformed it into a living canvas of extreme self-expression. Today, he holds the Guinness World Record for the most body modifications in the world.
Rolf has over 560 piercings, including more than 170 on his face and an astonishing 278 in his intimate areas. His tongue has been split into two, giving him a snake-like appearance when he speaks. His forehead is adorned with subdermal implants that form the shape of small horns, and his earlobes stretch with massive gauges. His tattoos cover nearly his entire body — arms, legs, torso, and even parts of his face. It’s a look that often leaves people speechless.
But Rolf insists that the transformation wasn’t about shock value. He doesn’t see himself as someone who changed — he sees it as a long-overdue unveiling. “I didn’t become someone else,” he says. “I just stopped hiding who I really am.” For him, body modification is a form of freedom. It’s art, identity, and expression all rolled into one. He treats it with seriousness, care, and a sense of pride — not unlike an artist working on a lifelong masterpiece.
Despite his extreme appearance, Rolf is known among friends and fans as soft-spoken, thoughtful, and surprisingly gentle. He smiles often, answers questions patiently, and enjoys talking about his philosophy on individuality and personal choice. He has a dry sense of humor and doesn’t take himself too seriously — even when strangers stare or react with fear.
Of course, not everyone sees Rolf’s appearance the way he does. While some admire him for his boldness and dedication, others react with discomfort or even hostility. In 2014, he was famously denied entry into Dubai. Authorities there reportedly suspected him of being a practitioner of black magic — something Rolf laughs about today, though the experience was frustrating at the time. “They looked at me like I was dangerous,” he recalls. “All because of how I look.”
But for Rolf, such moments only reinforce the importance of what he does. His body has become a statement — not of defiance, but of truth. He lives by his own rules, and in doing so, he invites others to reflect on their own ideas of beauty, normality, and freedom.
Now in his 60s, Rolf shows no signs of slowing down. He continues to travel, attend tattoo and piercing conventions, and share his story with people around the world. He’s not just the man with the most piercings — he’s a reminder that it’s never too late to become exactly who you want to be.
