Joe Manganiello covers surgery scars with massive dragon tattoo

Joe Manganiello has had his surgery scars concealed with a massive dragon tattoo.

In his new book, Bloodlines, the True Blood actor opens up about suffering from a "cascade of autoimmune-related illnesses" over the course of seven years, with him even having part of his intestines removed.

Returning to Instagram on Monday, Joe posted four photos showing the process of getting the tattoo, which extends across his right hip and thigh.

"In chapter four, I related my struggle with the illness to my body sending out knights to fight a (western) dragon that didn't exist," he wrote in the caption. "The soldiers would then punch holes throughout my body when they couldn't find an enemy."

Joe credited Port City Tattoo California with the design. Accordingly, the Magic Mike star noted that the inking felt like the perfect way to mark his journey.

"The idea to cover my surgery scars with my first tattoo, a three-foot (91 cm) dragon down my right side, was my effort to take back what little agency I felt that I had, and to signal to my body to stop attacking the dragon... because the (eastern) dragon was me...," the 49-year-old added.

Bloodlines is now available to purchase. In the memoir, the Deathstroke actor also explores how his search for a cure led him to explore his own family history.

"A search that led him deep into his own bloodline: to a survivor of the Armenian genocide, to ancestors shaped by violence and displacement, and the hidden patterns shared by others living with chronic illness," the summary reads. "The result is both a page-turning, heart-pounding story for the ages and an essential meditation on inheritance, loss, and the work of living with what remains."