Tabitha West: Woman successfully crowdfunds the removal of her forehead tattoo which says '420'

The American said her facial art had stopped her getting a job and had left her contemplating suicide

Tabitha West got the facial tattoo when she was "young and dumb" (Tabitha West/Facebook)

A US woman has successfully crowdfunded her face tattoo removal after setting up a fundraising page online.

Tabitha West set up the page to remove the unsightly body art - a decorative ‘420’ written across her forehead - which she said she got when she was “young and dumb” but is now making it impossible to find a job.

4/20 is the unofficial symbol of marijuana legalisation movement - it is falsely believed to be the police code for cannabis possession.

Ms West, from the small town of Mexico in New York state, said she “can't stand to look at [her] face” in the mirror and had even contemplated killing herself because of it.

The page has raised over $900 (£627) in just two days - beating her original target of $800 (£557).

Writing on the page - which she said was inspired by a friend who used it after she had a house fire - she thanked everyone who donated money and dismissed her critics.

She said: “Thank you to the people whom wished me luck and wasn't down on me for putting this on this site.

“I said to myself for years I wouldn't but I did so people that disliked my fundraiser you can kiss my a** sorry.

“You just hating because there are people who care about people like me..so step back please.”

But several people on the page accused Ms West of being selfish as the site was designed for charity fundraising.

One woman, Dezere Kieran Stone, wrote: “This site was made for people with life threatening illnesses, disabilities, and families going through hard times.

“You decided to get a tattoo on your head, why should other people use their hard earned working money for you to get it removed?

“This is completely selfish of you to ask when people could be donating their money to actual people in need, like sick and dying children.”