A tattoo artist inked an ultra-realistic thumbnail onto the stump of a man's thumb after it was torn off to its knuckle in an accident. 

Keri Hamilton claims her medical tattoos help people feel 'whole' again, but despite her 15 years of experience, this was the first time she'd attempted to recreate a human nail.

The 46-year-old studied her client's other thumbnail as the basis for the shape and colours of the imitation tattoo, trying to copy the shades of pink, white and grey to create a realistic double.

She even had to draw in the skin ridges around the nail to create the optical illusion on the otherwise smooth, 'squishy' area made up of flesh from his thigh.

Photos show the thumbnail in a perfect arch on the man's right hand - with only the shorter size of the digit giving it away as the tattoo when compared to the real one.

Keri claims the man, whose thumb was torn off when it was trapped in his trailer hitch, was excited about his new tattoo but expects him in again in the future to finish it permanently once she has assessed how the skin has healed.