Check out this well keloided scarification by Urea, Joao Pessoa, PB Brazil.
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Search Results for: keloid
Another Mega-Keloid Removal
I posted a pictures of the pierced keloid recently, and I’ve posted about keloid removal in the past as well… Here’s another example, this time done by Efix in Quebec — very cleanly executed! They’ll be back stretching their ears in no time if they want.
This entry was edited to fix the artist credit. Sorry!
Keloid Before and After
As you can see below, sometimes lobe piercings blow out with the most revolting of tumorous keloids. Here’s a before and after (or should I say more philosophically, after and before) of a correction done by Andre Fernandes at Tattoo You in Sao Paulo, Brasil.
Oh, and if you really must see the little amputated ear buddy, click here.
Wedding ring microdermals, the new trend? Get lost!
There’s been a bit of buzz lately from some less than reputable news sites reporting on what they consider a new, hip trend, surface anchors being installed on fingers in place of wedding rings. While Modblog readers and BME fans are certainly not going to be unfamiliar with the erroneous concept of piercing fingers and hands as we near an anniversary of Shannon’s own attempts at his hand web piercings, the body piercing industry as a majority has largely changed face on what we now refer to commonly as “long term temporary” piercings.
I was approached by Refinery29 in order to comment on the subject, and after seeing the final article printed to seem almost positive towards the idea, I feel like the whole story should be told. (And, you know, I already wrote the whole thing).
Here is the original interview in its entirety:
R29: I know pain threshold is a very subjective experience, but on a scale of 1-10, how much would a micro-dermal piercing like this hurt?
TV: When it comes to microdermals – or surface anchors as we more commonly refer to them these days – the sensation for the client receiving the piercing is a bit unlike a traditional piercing. The way I describe the feeling to my clients is to explain that they will feel a piercing-like pinch while the initial pocket is made with a needle, and then more of a pushing-like pressure as the jewelry is inserted.
Pain levels will of course vary from person to person, though surface anchors are usually on the lower end of the pain scale for most of my clients – even those without much or any prior experience in being pierced. Fingers may tend to be a bit more sensitive.
RT: What would the recovery and healing process be like?
TV: Recovery time with most piercings is very minimal. The first few hours to first week or so will contain some light soreness, swelling, mild redness and minimal bleeding around the piercing site as the body’s inflammatory system activates and begins the first stages of the healing process. From there, things will calm down and relax steadily throughout the rest of the healing period.
According to the Association of Professional Piercers, Surface Anchors tend to take between 3-4 months to fully heal. During that time and as the body begins healing the damaged tissue, the piercing will begin to discharge a light amount of what we commonly refer to as fluid that will become “crusties” – or medically, serous exudate. This discharge is a very normal part of the healing process of any piercing at all and appears as a mostly clear, thin, watery plasma that will dry around the piercing site and form light scabbing. It should be gently removed with a very minimal aftercare regimen during healing.
(Source: https://woundcareadvisor.com/wound-exudate-types/)
(Source: http://safepiercing.org)
RT: Is it normal for a piercing to continue to bleed like in most of those photos?
TV: While any piercing may bleed a bit immediately during the piercing itself or for a very short while afterwards, extended bleeding is not something we see often with microdermals at all. In very simple terms, in body piercing we are essentially making a hole through the body and then immediately “plugging” it. In many occasions, microdermal piercings will be completed by placing a band-aid over the piercing site itself, though this is usually less to prevent any bleeding and more to prevent any accidental catching or snagging that may affect the piercing after being freshly done.
RT: How close are these finger piercings/anchors to the bone?
TV: Not at all! A microdermal piercing when properly placed will sit in the dermis, the layer of tissue directly beneath the outer surface layer of the skin – the epidermis. They are routinely placed less than a 1/4” beneath the outer surface of the skin, and on places such as fingers – often only about half that.
RT: How do the anchors of a dermal piercing work differently than another?
TV: Surface anchors are unique from other piercings in that they are a single-point piercing, meaning that they have only one point of entrance and exit for the entire piece of jewelry. Onlookers will often ask with curiosity (or sometimes pure bewilderment): “Does that go all the way through?!”.
Instead of a piercing completely made through an ear, or a fold of tissue in say a navel, microdermal piercings are performed by creating a pocket within the top two layers of skin and placing the jewelry snugly and securely within the dermis.
RT: What are possible side effects for a piercing like this?
TV: The biggest and most important side effect to note is that microdermals have a limited lifespan. In my professional experience, clients tend to average around 2-6 years with the piercings before issues arise or they chose to take them out for other reasons – such as lifestyle changes, job requirements, or a change of aesthetic. I have seen surface anchors last upwards of 10+ years and also ones that have to be removed after less than 6 months.
The common term among professionals used to describe the longevity of a microdermal is “Long-term temporary”. When the first modern microdermals were introduced widely in 2006 by Pat Pruitt of Custom Steel, they were referred to as “Borderline Permanent” as their longevity had yet to be tested. Earlier prototypes showed mixed results but most resulted in inevitable failure.
(Source: https://news.bme.com/2006/11/05/the-next-big-thing-microdermals-and-surface-anchors/)
Secondary to rejection, the largest risk factor when it comes to any piercing on the hands is infection. Think about all of the things your hands touch on a regular basis, and now imagine all of those getting in an open wound over 4 months! If we take a look at simple medical studies on wound healing, lacerations on the hand tend to have almost double the infection rate versus those on other parts of the body. While infection rates across the board are already pretty low, especially in the case of traditional piercings, we certainly do not want to encourage higher risk placements and increase those possibilities.
Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4369530/ (5% average infection rate for hand lacerations)
Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3797169/ (2.5% average infection rate for other lacerations)
Lastly, scaring. As scaring will differ from person to person, it is very difficult for us as professionals to estimate how the piercing site may scar once it has been removed down the line. Some people are left with lightly noticeable scaring, some people may be more prone to keloid-type scars, and some may be simply left with just a subtle little dimple as you’ll see below.
RT: What does the rejection of a piercing actually look like? What should someone look out for?
TV: I actually have a great photo example to share for this question, showing a healed microdermal bottom left, one beginning its journey towards rejection in the top left, one nearly completely rejected on the top right, and a scar from one that has already been fully removed on the bottom right. When this client came into the studio a few months ago, we removed all of the rest of the ones in this photo. These were not performed by me.:
Surface anchors in different stages of rejection or removal.
In microdermals, early issues with the piercing can be identified by a notable amount of swelling, irritation, excessive redness or soreness, and the jewelry no longer remaining “flat” against the surface of the skin. At this stage, I would recommend returning to your piercer to have them see if the problems may be able to be resolved on their own before furthering. In the later stages, rejection may appear as the jewelry having tilted to one side or another, irritated tissue building up along the base of the jewelry, or entirely with parts of it protruding from the skin as pictured. By this point, it is a better idea to have the piercing removed by a professional rather than continue to let it work its way out on its own.
RT: Would you recommend clients getting this kind of piercing? Do a lot request it?
TV: Despite a few recent articles, requests for microdermal and surface anchor piercings have actually drastically decreased in recent years as more and more clients and more and more professional piercers are becoming aware of their impermanence, high likelihood of rejection and migration, and potential scarring after the piercing has been removed.
I find that the majority of people getting such piercings these days, especially on outer extremities such as wrists, hands, and fingers are those who were not offered a proper explanation of what to expect during healing or after removal. These days, I remove far more microdermals than I insert.
When it comes to extremities, such as hands, fingers, toes and the like, I do not recommend having them done – and nor do the vast majority of my colleagues. These areas are drastically more prone to infection, irritation, accidental catching, snagging, and almost all potential negatives that could happen to a piercing. Even the simple act of placing a hand into a pocket or down a sleeve when putting on a T-Shirt can turn into a complete ordeal as the piercing snags on clothing. Their longevity is dramatically reduced, and though you may see an increase or a large amount of photos of them being done – they are nearly always photos taken when the piercings were still brand new.
(Source: https://safepiercing.tumblr.com/post/89884031234/hey-if-youd-answer-this-privately-id-appreciate)
RT: Where might there be a better placement on the hand?
TV: Truthfully, there is not really a “better” placement for any piercing on a hand. Over the few decades, some of the best professional body piercers in the world experimented with a myriad of placements for piercings located on the hands and fingers. In short, they nearly all failed with the exception of some very small and unique cases of sheer luck.
In summary, if you understand the risks, the likelihood that they will not be permanent adornments, and are okay with potential scarring once they have been removed – they can be a very fun, temporary addition to many different parts of the body. It is important to consult with a reputable piercer with much experience in this area beforehand who can explain all of these factors to you along with providing you a safe recommendation on placement options that will provide as much longevity as possible. Outliers will however always be a factor. Finger microdermals may potentially last a decade under the right circumstances and with enough luck – and many readers may know people who have successful microdermal piercings for extended amounts of time that may make them believe the success rate is much higher – but it’s important to remember that not everyone who jumps off of the Golden Gate bridge dies.
If you’re looking for a cute way to show off your love, sticking with traditional finger jewelry tends to work much, much better – and I would hope that your marriage or partnership lasts longer than the average microdermal or surface anchor on a finger. 🙂
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And that my friends, is why pop culture should just continue to report on pop culture.
The Friday Follow-up
Well, it’s been two years since the very first Friday Follow-up post. In that time we’ve seen some of the most incredible scars, and heard some remarkable stories. The main purpose of the follow-up is, and always will be, to showcase scarification and branding beyond the first day. Two years ago, seeing healed scars on ModBlog was pretty rare, mostly due to the fact that scarification takes so long to heal. With a tattoo or piercing, then end result is visible immediately, and you have a pretty good idea of how it’ll look in a few months time. With scarification taking so long, it’s no wonder that artists don’t have as many healed photos as they do fresh ones, so many things can happen over the course of a year that can make it difficult to get a new photo. This is especially relevant to artists who tour, as they may not return to a location for a significant period of time.
The reason I’ve bringing all this up today is because when I was browsing the galleries I recognized a scar that I first featured two years ago, when it was still fresh. In fact, it was also one of the very first Friday Follow-up posts that showed how it had healed after three months. Now here we are today, two years later, and we have an opportunity to revisit a scar, and get a good impression of just how much scars can change over time.
To start with, here’s the original photo from August 2010.
And now the initial follow-up from November 2010.
As you can see, the keloids are raising up, and the scar has taken on a distinctive reddish tone.
And finally, here’s how it looks today, two years later.
Such a drastic change from the first follow-up. The scar is clearly defined, and you can see how it has raised up more in the upper abdomen, as opposed to the lower, due to movement. The biggest change comes from the colouration. Over time the redness of the fresh scar has died down completely and has reverted to the original skin tone. Some scars lighten the tissue over time, however it seems here that the pigmentation has almost completely been restored.
A big thank you to Gabor Zagyvai (IAM: Wyrd) for continuing to send in updated photos of the scars he has done.
Questions that need answers!
Update: Thank you to all who have written volunteering to help out. We have now chosen a new staff for Ask BME.
Psst, hey you! Yeah you, over there with the tattoos and piercings, want to help BME? Have knowledge that you’d like to share with others? If you’re a professional or have experience in the industry, why not volunteer to join our Ask BME team?
If you’ve got what it takes to be a part of BME ask team, then please copy and past the questions below and send them to Jen! We have some rules and guidelines on how to answer questions on ask.BME but I want to see how you’d answer them on your own without any guidance from us. Don’t worry about answering them all, just answer the questions that match up with your experience and skill set. Be honest about the questions that you don’t know the right answer to and remember, everyone has different answers and there is always more than one correct answer to a question! So fill out the answers to the questions and send them in! P.S. Spelling errors are from the submitters of the questions, not BME! For authenticity we’re leaving them as is!
Please include a brief bio of yourself when you email (including what you feel qualifies you to answer the questions). Basically, tell us how amazing you are! We’ll be making our decision, hopefully, by the end of next week so don’t delay!
1. Hey,
I got my tongue pierced 4 days ago and I am very concerned with it getting infected, namely thrush because of the fact that I accidentally ate some food that has food in it that is made from dairy. Well for the past few days I’ve noticed that the back of my tongue from just behind the piercing on back is a yellowish color and I was wondering if this was normal? I have also noticed for the past couple of days that I have a sort of metallic taste in my mouth I was also wondering if this was normal? Then lastly, I was wondering if, instead of using the mouthwash that i’m currently using to rinse my mouth after every time I eat, is it okay to use the sea salt mixture in it’s place? Would using the sea salt mixture cut down on the possibility of getting an infection, like thrush, better than mouthwash? Sorry for all of the questions, i’m really anal about knowing everything that I can about what’s best for my piercings when they are healing.
2. so i recently just got a new tattoo to cover up some ugly ass tribal i had on my leg since i was 16… its a huge sobirety piece on my leg. now my question to you all is why does my tattoo look like the color has faded after some of the scabs have naturaly fallen off? also i have been using tattoo goo and applying 2-3 times per day.. even where i have heavy shading it looks like the color is fading or is that due to the fact the top layer of skin is starting to flake off?
My boyfriend was tattooed 4 days ago and has been chugging along with his aftercare as one does. I was applying ointment to it last night (a cream that tattooists in France always recommend, and that I and my boyfriend have used ourselves on previous tattoos without any problems whatsoever) when I noticed some small, blister-like bumps on parts of his tattoo.
They are more pronounced on the small spots of blue that he has in his tattoo but I also noticed a few of these little blisters on a shaded black area so I don’t think it’s a question of how much pressure was used while tattooing. They range from small circular spots of about 1-2mm in diameter to small smear-shaped raised, dry areas of about 6-8mm in length. There is not an over abundance of them but they seem to be more concentrated (although sparsely) around the inner forearm. There is also a slight redness and raised skin on other shaded areas of the tattoo. However there is no globalized redness or burning/itching.
He does have a tendency to swell up during the tattooing and up to a day after, but from what he tells me he hasn’t ever seen any of these small, raised, blister like patches on any of his other tattoos (he has both coloured and plain black ones).
I have a feeling you will tell me this is an allergy of some sort and to contact the tattoo artist, which I plan on doing, but I just wanted your opinion on this subject and how to possibly treat it. Should he really be panicking about it or is it something easily taken care of and should he seek a doctor’s opinion? Also how badly could it possibly affect the tattoo?
Thank you for any response you can give to put his mind at rest, or push to take action.
3. I just had my septum pierced and the piercer put in a circular barbell. Friends are telling me I should have had a retainer put in first while it heals. Is this true? I wouldn’t be concerned except it seems like the piercing is moving closer and closer to the bottom of the septum due to gravity, away from the cartilage area. Thanks.
4. This is not my first tattoo, I have quite a few but I’ve never had any that have done this. I’ve gone to the same artist for most of my tattoos , I follow the after care procedures, but none of my other tattoos have had this happen, So it’s 7 days old and it has peeled for the most part but underneath the layer that has peeled it is a very shiny and wrinkly skin. It looks as if it’s possibly going to peel a second time. Like I’ve said before that’s never happened before. Is it silver skin/ milk skin? Will it go away? The tattoo is on my inner bicep, does that make a difference in how it heals?
5. I want to get the back of my neck pierced but i’m really worried about wasting money if it rejects, a friend of mine said dermal anchor’s are better and have less chance of rejecting?
Je veux obtenir l’arrière de mon cou percé, mais je suis vraiment inquiet pour gaspiller de l’argent si elle rejette, un de mes amis dit ancrage dermiques sont mieux et ont moins de chance de rejeter?
6. I have had my ear lobes stretched to 1/2 inch for about two year now. I recently got the urge to step up. In the past I have used silicone plugs to dead stretch my ears. I know the whole taper and non-porous jewelry way is preferred, but I was trying to go cheap and it works. I bought some 5/8″ plugs because I was trying to go too big too quick, completely kipping 9/16″. My ears got swollen and were very sensitive. After a few days, I decided to take them out and give my ears a rest. The swelling has almost completely gone down, except for in the fistula. It has been 3 days with no jewelry what so ever and my ears feel about 75% back to normal. I tried sticking a half inch taper through while in the shower but it makes around half way before pain. I am worried that irritating my piercings, coupled with the lack of jewelry, has reduced their size drastically. It is still a little swollen so I don’t know the full severity yet, but right now it look like 2g would be the biggest jewelry I could fit. Is it possible to get back to at least the 1/2″ inch I was at without having to work my way up? They were like that for 2 years, could 2 days have set me back that far?
7. Okay so I got my monroe pierced 5 days ago. It’s looking pretty good except that it’s still red around it. I do not think it’s infected because there is no puss coming out of it or anything and the inside looks totally fine. I emailed my piercer and he said this is totally normal. But, I’m getting paranoid! Almost every person I see says “That’s infected!” I’m really getting tired of hearing it. I know that they pierce with a long piece of jewelry and I do get it caught on my gums sometimes. Will the redness go away once I can switch to a shorter post and don’t get it caught on my gums anymore? I’m doing my SSS 2 times a day. Help please!
8. I’m wondering if you can recommend a reputable scarification artist in Australia. I’m based in Melbourne but I’m willing to travel if I need to. So far my searching hasn’t returned a whole lot.
Also, what method would work best if I’m looking to have subtle flat scars rather than raised keloiding? Is it more a matter of how you personally tend to heal rather than the method used that determines what the healed result is like?
9. Would love to ask if anyone know what category does this tattoo fall in. Tried searching on the web for a long time but couldn’t get it. Got this picture from one of someone and he told me his customer brought him that so no one knows what style/kind this tattoo falls in what category. very much appreciate if anyone out there knows because i really love it and would love to know more then ink it on me !THANKS GUYY!
10. I got an apadravya and frenum long time ago, but recently found out me and my wife are to be expecting a little one. We were just wanting to double check if sex with the apadravya will be ok and not cause any problems with the pregnancy? We’ve tried searching but really couldn’t find a definite answer about this particular circumstance with apadravya + pregnancy. Thank you for any help.
11. I got my navel piercing when I was 15 years old, and I am now almost 25. It has never once been infected, but every once in a while over the years, it gets sore/red/painful for a week or so. In the past couple years I’ve put on about 20 pounds, and the irritation comes more frequently. SO frequently, that I took it out, and let it “heal” a couple months ago.
A few days ago it started the sore/red/painful thing again without even having a ring in it. I figured it was best to put the jewelry back in rather than have it seal in the infection, if that’s what it is. I have sensitive skin, so I only buy surgical steel rings, so that’s definitely not it. I even bought an actual circular ring instead of a barbel so it wouldn’t be too tight.
ANYWAY, I just don’t really know what is wrong.. is it my weight gain? Could it be something else? I just don’t know why it would be doing this after months of not having a ring in. HELP?!
12. Hi guys,
I had both of my ears pierced at 14g in August. They healed up with no problems or infections, and near the end of October, I stretched them to a 12g (my piercer did it for me, and they bled a little bit when he stretched them). Now around a little over a month ago, one of my tunnels was pulled out while I was sleeping, causing it to bleed a bit, but I cleaned it thoroughly then put it back in. After a few days or so, a small bump appeared on the back of my left ear near the piercing (not directly on the piercing, but its very close). At first I assumed it was a pimple because it was small and soft to touch. But after a week or so, it only shrunk a tiny bit. I had my piercer check it out, and he said that it was a “keloid”, and I simply had to rub it/massage it daily with soap on my fingers to help break down the “bacteria/gunk” inside so it could properly heal. Since I started doing that (around 3 or so weeks ago), it has gone down a bit, but is still there. I have also been using saline wound wash, as recommended by another piercer I know.
Now while I’m sure it’s just something I need to be patient with, I decided to ask on here because you guys are the professionals! I apologize if this can’t be analyzed properly without a picture, but I was just hoping you might have some advice towards a more effective solution for my situation.
Thanks much!
13. Just a quick question about tongue piercing. I have had a tongue piercing before but had to remove it and it healed up. I have being thinking about getting 2 new tongue piercings either venom’s or just two in the middle. Is it best to have them both done at the same time or separate?
14. I’m looking into getting a small skin removal piece done seeing how it’s going to be my first, and I was looking on many sites about chemical irritant aftercare, I seen that Toasted Sesame oil is a very good one to use, I got a bottle of 100% sesame oil one accident and wondered if it would do the same? Or better yet if you could suggest more of a variety of chemical irritants? Thank you!
Looking forward to the answers! ^_^
15. Hi, I’m really wanting to get my sub dermal clavicles done, I’m not sure where to do this because I know that they’re pretty rate piercings.can anyone recommend a place or places in Texas where I could get mine done? it can be anywhere on the state, if not in the state, somewhere in the same general area would be good, I want them badly and I’m getting pretty desperate to find somewhere, can anyone help?
16. I’m really interested in doing a saline injection temporary breast enlargement. do you know of any professionals who do this in the southern California area?
17. I had both of my nipples pierced almost 8 years ago and never had a problem with them until about a year ago. The left one kept getting a bump towards the right side of the piercing. After some tlc, it would go away, but a few weeks later it would be back. Roughly 3 months ago, I noticed the spot where the bump had been actually left a tiny hole I could see the jewelry through. Well, it healed and wasn’t causing me any pain until yesterday I noticed the skin on that side had ripped up into where the hole was. Is this a type of rejection? If so, why so long? I took the jewelry out when I noticed this and it appears everything is closing up fine and there’s no pain. Would it be recommended to have the piercing re-done once everything is completely healed up?
18. Hi, I got my nipple pierced about 5 days ago and due to the swelling one ball is digging into my nipple. So much so that you can see where some skin has rubbed off due to the pressure and it has started to scab. I went to the piercer and asked if he would put a longer bar in and he said that that was normal, and that with any tongue or nipple piercing indentation is going to occur and to just wait for the swelling to go down.
My question is should I go to a different piercer and get their opinion on it, or should i just wait and hope that one day i dont wake up to the ball having dug its way into the piercing?
19. Hey everyone, I’ve got a question regarding the pain I’ve been feeling with my tongue piercing.. I find it understandable to have sensitivity issues with a new piercing, but I’ve had my tongue pierced for a couple years now and don’t know what the cause of my discomfort is. Occasionally, I get a stinging pain on the bottom of my tongue, directly around the exit hole of my tongue piercing around the barbell. Right now I have the pain for a couple days and it is a little more uncomfortable than usual but tolerable-no where else but just the bottom of my tongue directly around the barbell itself. There’s no swelling or signs of infection, but when the piercing moves around in my mouth or I just move my tongue I get a stinging pain. This started happening well after the piercing healed up too. Any idea what might be causing this and what it could be?
20. I’ve had my tongue pierced for seven years, but I’ve heard they do close up very quickly even if they’ve been pierced for a long time. I’m having surgery later in the year, and will most likely have to take out all of my piercings for it. I’m worried it will close up. I also probably won’t be able to put it back in myself for awhile, because the surgery is on my chest, and I don’t know if I’ll be able to raise my arms high enough to do it. My fiancee is too squeamish to do it, and I don’t know if a nurse at the hospital would do it. Am I doomed to have to have it re-pierced after my surgery is healed, or is there a chance it would go back in after having it out for a week or so? Thank you!
Honour and Pride
This is what happens when you let Brian Decker take a scalpel to skin with heavy blackwork.
Here’s what Brian has to say about the pieces.
To clarify, these pieces were a bit of an experiment with scarification over tattooing in two sessions. The “MY” on both sides was lined and filled with the ESU. The “PRIDE” and “HONOR” were lined with a scalpel and filled with a hyfrecator. You can see the hyfrecator work will need a touch-up session, and yielded no raised effect. The ESU removed the tattoo fully in one shot and keloided upward.
The Friday Follow-up
It’s been a while since we’ve had one of these, but thanks to kev_n, we’ve got a great follow-up for you today. You may recall this scarification piece for a little ways back.
It was originally mislabeled as a dermabrasion scar, when it was indeed done with a scalpel by Matt Vermillion from Artistic Design (West) in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Here’s how the scar looks now, about six weeks into the healing process.
You can already see how thick the keloids are, and they’ll more than likely increase just based off the location of the scar. Hopefully kev_n keeps us posted with more shots as he continues to heal.
The Friday Follow-up
Hey ModBloggers, this week we’ve got a follow-up that encompasses a number of procedures in an effort to explore rescarification. IAM: Nilrym, who you may remember from this follow-up post last year, has over the past 2 years been working on developing a scar to accompany a tattoo that he has. With the help of Brian Decker from Pure Body Arts in NYC, Nilrym has explored traditional cutting scarification, branding, and tattoo machine scarification (Note to Jen: We really need to rename the “Tattoo Gun Scarification” gallery)
Nilrym was generous enough to provide a reflection on all of his experiences, which I’ll include with the photos below.
Rescarification, was a hopeful concept for me prior to getting my first scarification piece. I knew that I have highly elastic skin, and that I most likely would not heal the very distinctive and textured keloids I was seeking. However this never bothered me, because the concept of rescarification always seemed intuitive, and therefore I assumed I could simply scar myself as many times as I wanted until my scar reached the desired height.
I haven’t come across any experiences in the community on rescarifiation. I am sure I could have contacted artist familiar with scarification to get their opinion, but Im not sure how often clients seek this. I think mainly the concept just made sense to me, that if you cut the skin and it scars, then do it again and it will scar more. Basically I decided to do rescarification because there seemed no reason to question that it wouldnt work. In the end I went for it, because I figured the scar results were only limited by my effort.
My first experience with Rescarification was the outline of my chest tattoo Anicca, I had it cut followed by branding after it had healed. My results and experience which mainly focuses on the commitment and exhaustion of aftercare is here: http://news.bme.com/2011/08/12/the-friday-follow-up-43 The results of my first scarification piece didn’t improve with rescarification, but I honestly had little hope for it to do so. The design was very thin, so it just didn’t seem to have enough area to agitate. For this reason I didn’t really consider it a proper gauge of rescarificaition.
2nd piece of scarification involved skin removal instead of just cutting and a larger area, so I thought it had potential for rescarification. I tried 3 different methods, and let each session properly heal.
My goal and desire was that I wanted the numbers to heal into big keloids and really pop.
Here is the initial scarification piece, the day it was done.
And here’s how it looked four months later.
Note: Its difficult to tell, but the main definition of this scar is in the ’2′. The diagonal part and bottom curve of the 2 are noticeably raised while the rest of the scar is minimally raised.
Read on to see what happened next for Nilrym and his scar.
Next up was a hyfrecator branding over top of the initial scar tissue. Also done by Brian Decker.
And here’s how it looked 5 months later. At this point the initial scar is around 10 months old.
Note at this point I had minor distortion of the tattoo from the keloid tightening the surrounding skin. All the same characteristics of the original scar. Noticeable raised 2 on diagonal and corner but minimal everywhere else.
The final step involved using a tattoo machine to go over the entire surface of the scar. Rob D from Broadway Tattoo Shop in South Amboy did the procedure here.
Note: This felt like it had a lot of potential, it felt very puffed and agitated in a good way. I wish I had access to a tattoo machine to user earlier in the healing phase and possibly every few days. I would be curious to see if this would improve scar healing. Instead of having the tattoo machine run with just water, I had them use diluted white ink, so as the scar turns white it will be even lighter.
And here’s the final result 6 months after the tattoo scarification. At this point it has been 1 year and 4 months since the initial scarification.
I doubt there is much difference between my initial healing and the current state now despite putting two attempts at rescarification on top of it. With this scar piece I also agitated it more with a tooth brush in all phases then I had my first piece, so I think I had more potential to gain results with more aggressive aftercare.
So yea.. This is my experience, and I found rescarification gave me no additional benefit. Everyone is different and heals different, so there could be people who would have more success then I did. Hopeful people find this helpful if they are considering rescarification.
A big thank you to Nilrym for sharing this experience with us. While it sounds like it didn’t turn out the way he had planned, but like he said, everyone heals differently, so what didn’t work for him, may work for others. Make sure to check out Nilrym’s page and the galleries for more photos and comments.
ModBlog News of the Week: February 24th, 2012
Another week has come and gone. The weekend is just about here, but before it can start there’s just one more piece of business left to take care of… the news of the week. After last week’s lengthy catch-up post, this week is is a little light on stories, but it does have some interesting ones.
First up is a story that could be considered a follow-up. I recall a story last year about some scientists who were developing a way for people with spinal cord injuries to move around, using only a tongue stud. Well since then they’ve created a number of test models, and they’re being used in trials right now.
The Tongue Drive System is getting less conspicuous and more capable. Tongue Drive is a wireless device that enables people with high-level spinal cord injuries to operate a computer and maneuver an electrically powered wheelchair simply by moving their tongues. The newest prototype of the system allows users to wear an inconspicuous dental retainer embedded with sensors to control the system. The sensors track the location of a tiny magnet attached to the tongues of users. In earlier versions of the Tongue Drive System, the sensors that track the movement of the magnet on the tongue were mounted on a headset worn by the user. “By moving the sensors inside the mouth, we have created a Tongue Drive System with increased mechanical stability and comfort that is nearly unnoticeable,” said Maysam Ghovanloo, an associate professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
In recent months, Ghovanloo and his team have recruited 11 individuals with high-level spinal cord injuries to test the headset version of the system at the Atlanta-based Shepherd Center and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. Trial participants received a clinical tongue piercing and tongue stud that contained a tiny magnet embedded in the upper ball. They repeated two test sessions per week during a six-week period that assessed their ability to use the Tongue Drive System to operate a computer and navigate an electric wheelchair through an obstacle course. “During the trials, users have been able to learn to use the system, move the computer cursor quicker and with more accuracy, and maneuver through the obstacle course faster and with fewer collisions,” said Ghovanloo. “We expect even better results in the future when trial participants begin to use the intraoral Tongue Drive System on a daily basis.”
How different is a clinical tongue piercing from a normal tongue piercing? Also, it should be noted that Anatometal is contributing to this endeavor, which means that when they do go into production, the jewelry used for the stud will undoubtedly be high quality.
Now a weekly news roundup wouldn’t be complete without some criminal activity, and this week we’ve hit a new low.
Police said a man traded tattoos, piercings and marijuana with at least five teenage girls in exchange for nude photos. The father of two of the girls said his daughters met Ford through a mutual friend. He told Channel 11′s Timyka Artist that Ford would leave cash under a rock for the girls after they sent him the photos. Other times he would pierce and tattoo them. The girls’ father, who did not want to be identified, said his daughters are now being tested because he suspects that Ford reused needles. “It was never in a professional place, always some seedy situation,” he said.
Allegheny County police said the five teenage victims are from Brentwood Middle School between the ages of 12 and 14 years old.
12-14. Something tells me that if this guy is found guilty, he’ll have a lot of friends in prison.
Moving on, 3News from New Zealand has a story about Dr. Reverend who uses a pretty unique medium for his art.. his own blood.
Five years ago the Sydney tattooist, Dr Reverend, was getting regular blood tests because of liver problems when the inspiration to paint with blood struck him for the first time. “The down side was I got such a kick out of it I did another one and thought ‘I wonder if I can run it through an airbrush’,” he says. “I could get my blood to run one of these like paint and after that there was no turning back”.
And so at the Melbourne tattoo convention the doctor took things to their logical extreme and connected an IV line and painted straight from his body.
Here’s a link to the video of the interview, which includes footage of him painting directly from his vein.
While we’re on the subject of blood, The Vancouver Sun has done an extensive feature of scarification, including a video of a scarification in progress.
Women have long gone under the knife for the sake of beauty. A growing trend in body modification, however, is now seeing them do so in the name of art. Unlike tattoos, which use needles to create a permanent design, scarification involves carving patterns into the flesh with a scalpel. And to hear it from industry insiders, an estimated 60 to 70 per cent of those being cut aren’t countercultural thrill-seekers but rather professional women, ages 25 to 50, desiring something more understated than traditional ink. “It can produce the same type of image as a tattoo but it’s a lot more subtle and less aggressive,” says Keith Kennedy, a Calgary scarification artist for the past eight years.
Few scarification artists advertise their services out of fear this “grey area” of body modification will be made illegal in Canada. A handful, however, are working directly with medical and health officials – Calgary’s Kennedy included – to demonstrate that, when done correctly, this unique art form is legitimate and safe. Dr. Mariusz Sapijaszko, past president of the Canadian Society for Dermatologic Surgery, is among the doctors who’ve observed scarification firsthand. “Based on the medical school training that I received, we viewed scarification as a form of self-mutilation rather then body art,” says Sapijaszko, who practices in Edmonton. “(But) I found the scarification artists to be extremely skilled in design, planning and execution of the scarification process. They were meticulous in their technique and obviously had tremendous experience.”
The doctor’s foremost caution is that nobody undertake the process lightly, noting the potential for infection, uneven scarring, keloids (rubbery lesions often accompanied by pain or itchiness) and social embarrassment. “It’s critical that the artist is an expert,” says Sapijaszko. “The results, bad or good, are permanent.”
An in today’s final story, a study by dermatologists at Northwestern University has resulted in 9 steps to prepare your body for a piercing.
To stay safe, the paper describes these points to consider before getting your body pierced.
1. Know your infection risk: If you currently have an infection or an open wound, it’s a good idea to put off the piercing until you are healthy. Risk of infection is higher — especially if the piercer is poorly trained and working in an unsterile environment or using unclean equipment — or if the wound doesn’t heal properly.
2. Be aware of medical issues: If you have health problems, such as poorly controlled diabetes or other conditions that weaken your immune system, your chances of infection are higher and piercing is riskier.
3. Factor in lifestyle. A nose ring when you’re 20 may look cool, but it may not be so hip or accepted at 30 in some workplaces. If you’re planning to remove piercings frequently to conceal them at work or from your family, this may increase your chances of infection. It may also lengthen healing time of newly pierced skin. If you play a contact sport and your piercings are in an area where they might rip or the jewelry can snag on clothing, this may injure the skin.
It goes on, but you get the idea. For most of us, it’s general knowledge (with the exception of the “coolness” factor), however for a lot of people these tips could end up being very helpful. Ideally it’ll encourage people to stop going to mall kiosks to have their lobes pierced with a gun.
Well, that’s it for this week. Have a great weekend, and remember to e-mail me those news stories you come across.