CHAPTER 11 Intro to Body Modification

 What follows is only a description of what happens with the kinds of body modification discussed here. As such, the information is intended for those who want to get body modification done (hence the recommendations on quality jewelry and so forth) and for the body modders themselves. But I need to clarify that the information in this chapter is a partial demonstration only, not meant as a how-to. It's only a brief description of body modification.

I urge all of you reading this to seek a formal apprenticeship in all avenues, especially this one. I won't get as detailed here as I've done in the sections on tattooing simply because I firmly believe that at this level, it's mandatory to learn stuff strictly in person on a teacher-student platform. Hands-on training is a must when tweaking a human at this level. Many informative Websites, for example, BME and Tribalectic, offer a wealth of knowledge in this arena. Check them out.

On a deeper note, those who understand body modification's evolutionary and spiritual elements open up to a new paradigm, if you will. They agree that the pain that comes with the process is a divine opportunity to connect with their mortal humanity and experience their infinite self. Eventually, some of us can transcend the physical. But you have to earn your keep. There's also a famous saying in Russia that means "Beauty demands sacrifice." I forgot where I heard it, but someone said there is no beauty without pain. It's similar to how bodybuilders "feel the burn" to increase their muscles' size. Same principle, different route.

In this book's sections on tattooing, great care was taken to describe the environment, the machine, the equipment, the pitfalls, and so forth before getting to the practice and technique of tattooing. The exact amount of care and attention would seem to be required for this material, if not more so since it involves surgical procedures—but here, I'm taking the opposite approach because telling people how to go about it frame-by-frame would only encourage the DIY crowd to try this stuff unsupervised.

MICRODERMALS

Let's start your learning journey by looking at those jewelry pieces that can essentially be implanted anywhere. Some people consider microdermal implants (also called surface anchors or just microdermals) part of the piercing family, but microdermals are in many ways a single-point pocketing modification. Think incision, not piercing. A hole is made with a needle or biopsy punch (disposable circular blade), and then an elevator or taper is used to pocket, or lift, the skin to stick the post or bar in. The threading is for the microdermal to screw in while inserting the jewelry into the skin. Tapers make good elevators. Grab yourself a few size 14 internally threaded tapers, which are the same size as a 16 external threading. For example, a 12 external is the same as a 10 internal threading. Threaded tapers 1, 2, and 1, 6 in size are great. Grab them with a 1.2 mm protrusion, a.k.a. 14 gauge.

Microdermals take the logic of transdermals and simplify the entire process, rendering it far less invasive. There are many ways to perform this procedure, but no matter which way you do it, you have to clean the area, ensuring any potential threats are eliminated.

Some people don't use dermal punches but rather #10 scalpels 

or 10-gauge hypodermic needles. Scalpels and biopsy punches are illegal in most states, so many body modifiers don't make a point of publicly advertising their work. Some people don't pocket but rather jam the anchor (the base of the jewelry) right into the punched hole, using the leg (the tip of the jewelry) to separate tissue. Some say that once the skin is punctured, the very geometry of the micro dermal will taper the skin by default upon insertion. All you have to do is place the longer end of the anchor in the incision, push the skin backward, and pop the short leg into place. The straight hemostats lock in place to secure the jewelry while we pull the skin to insert the plate, lifting it in a pocketing fashion.

Some people keep the cap on throughout this entire process; some don't. Some elect to screw the lid on once the post has been securely inserted. Just be very careful when screwing and unscrewing the caps onto the bar because if you're not, you'll strip the threads. You also want to be gentle when screwing the top in, as the base will want to shift, which will jack up your client's tissue.

Before I go further, let me say a few words about removing these little monsters. It's one thing to be able to put microdermal implants in, but taking them out can be a whole production too. If you plan on doing this stuff, you need to know how to do both. Removal can usually be done with a light rub, by which you slowly massage that sucker out. Some say dermal implants need to be cut out, but in most cases, this isn't necessary for 

Professionals.

Understand that whenever we attempt to remove anything that has been put in the body, the area where the object has been removed will seal up, sometimes instantly. Removing surface anchors is a great way to cause an abscess (accumulation of pus resulting from an infection) if you are not on your job. If the microdermal looks like it's being rejected, let nature take its course; as it migrates out, the body will heal itself in the process. Also, note that cutting or yanking an anchor out makes reinsertion extraordinarily difficult.

Keep in mind that this is a surgical procedure, whether you're inserting or removing. Any surgical procedure holds the potential for infection regardless of how sterile a surgeon" you are. Bleach will sterilize your area and equipment, although it's not recommended. I know bleach is temptingly cheap and easy to get, but its fumes can be rather harsh. Glutaraldehyde-based chemical agents will also kill off any threat. I recommend kicking out a little extra to go with something hospital-grade like MadaCide or Dispatch.

There is no best way of doing this. It's a matter of personal preference. When it comes to any kind of body modification, it's not so much the technique but the quality of the relation between artist and canvas—skin in this case.

When implanting dermal anchors, you want to avoid rejection (the piece falling out), hypertrophic scarring (bruises around the works), and keloids (excess growth of scar tissue) at all costs. The best form of prevention is to know what you're doing. Supervision by a seasoned vet is a must until you can mimic their practice. Many different skin types respond in an assortment of ways. Unfortunately, the scope of this book doesn't extend to explaining specific ways of mitigating problems for each skin type.

The initial piercing placement of the microdermals is critical. Make sure there aren't any muscles or bones in the way. You want to feel around, actually moving the target area, to get an idea of how the microdermal will sit. Since the jewelry is so tiny, the anchor can be implanted anywhere in the body. Just remember, the jewelry placement must be compatible with the contours of the area on which it's being placed so that when the bones, muscles, and skin move around, the microdermal stays put. Places like the shoulders, where there is a lot of internal and external movement, tend to reject a lot. Don't insert a microdermal over scar tissue as the skin is often much denser and may go through changes as time goes by

Always check to ensure the surface anchor comes off and back on properly before the procedure. The screw that connects the two parts of the piece can't be too loose or tight.

Time to implant a small piece of jewelry into another person's skin. Firmly pinch the skin to move it away from the bones and muscles. Then assess the thickness of the skin and divide this measurement in half to get the size of the rise (meaning how long the screw that connects the two pieces is). The skin has a thin membrane that acts as a barrier. On top of this, there is fat and then muscle. The skinnier the person, the less fat, and the thinner the skin tends to be; in some cases, there's no choice but to puncture that membrane for proper insertion.

Once the skin is assessed, and the rise is determined, go in with 

a 2 mm biopsy punch. You can't pick these up at medical supply companies or on the Web. Don't use a needle to perform this procedure unless the law says you can. Always tell your customer to breathe in for the piercing and to breathe out as the punch or needle leaves the skin. And throughout all of this, check in periodically with the person to find out how they are feeling.

There are two ways to insert the dermal punch. One is to pinch up and insert from the side. The other is a bigger pinch, then a swift puncture directly on the elevated skin. When going in with the dermal punch, you want a twisting movement. Dab some ointment on the dermal punch to mark the stopping point for how deep to puncture. Pinch up the skin where the mark is, and insert the 2 mm biopsy punch directly into the skin. Constantly keep everything lubed up with A+D. This makes everything much smoother, which means minor trauma. Also, be aware that anywhere we have a bunch of cartilage is more prone to infection than the rest of the body. Cartilage can even be morphed in shape and size by an infection that sticks around.

Curved scissors are then used to cut away the excess skin once the dermal punch is inserted. Straight hemostats screw on the cap and place the anchor inside the skin. Several dermal anchor holders on the market tend to scuff up the posts and shatter the gems embedded in the lids. When it comes to jewelry, remember that the oils on our fingers are corrosive to metal, so keep your hands and equipment clean. The jewelry should be of a sheer finish, pure metal, and highly polished with a smooth surface. You don't want to get cheap plated shit. The specific alloy used for body jewelry is 6AL4V ELI (six parts aluminum and four parts vanadium, with the remainder being titanium), specifically 136 grade with extra low interstitial elements. Titanium is a highly lightweight elemental metal. 

Get jewelry that has holes in the bottom so that the tissue can grow through and around the base of the jewelry. A standard dermal anchor has a 14 g post and a 3/32 rise, but it's in everyone's best interest to use different posts and rises depending on the skin type and body part. The longer or (once in the skin) higher the post, the thicker the skin. The prominent three rises are 2.0, 2.5, and 3.0.

It seems like caps can be changed more efficiently when the post is long, but this advantage comes with the risk of the post getting nudged more often. If you use anchors that stick out, make sure they come equipped with a healing nub. Understand that the closer they're inserted to the skin, the lower the risk of rejection or migration. On the other hand, it's way harder to change the caps when they're close like that, so ask your customer what they want out of the jewelry.

You may run into a situation where the threading of the microdermal gets fused with the wearer's tissue, making it very hard to unscrew. Sometimes when the cap is too tight, the problem is that it's internally cross-threaded. This wouldn't be good. These situations are prevented and resolved by getting properly sized high-quality jewelry and installing them quickly.

Any form of body art is not complete until it is healed. If the customer is in reasonably good health, then daily non-iodized saline soaks are pretty much all that's needed. There are different concentrations of soaks, so please use the label. Also, distilled water is ideal here. An occasional germicidal soap should be more than enough to ensure adequate aftercare. For the first few days, keep a bandage on it to let the skin and the anchor share bonding time. Don't get allergies and minor irritations confused with infection. Customers will only exacerbate complications if they expect the worst. Just know what to look for.

Whatever you do, you don't want to leave your customer with an abscess. This is essentially a trapped infection. If such a problem occurs, the sufferer must seek medical treatment before it becomes life-threatening. Cellulitis occurs when an infection has spread beyond the target puncture. The skin is extremely red, and the tissue is inflamed. This happens when the body can't fight off the threat it's faced with. If someone's skin gets jacked up for any reason, it's essential to drain the infected material. Heat always speeds things up.

Antibiotics are always excellent, but they are sometimes counted as the last resort since acquiring them tends to be rather pricey here in the States. It is unclear how a practitioner could recommend antibiotics except to advise going to a doctor. Other issues relating to antibiotics include allergies, possible reduction in effectiveness due to overuse, and their tendency to be available only by prescription. A cotton ball dipped in saline with a decent amount of pressure is the first step to getting rid of any minor irritation. The next step would be to get a prescription antihistamine cream.

It's not advisable to put any lotions or ointment on your implants and piercings unless your doctor recommends it. Just know, compounds like A+D and Vaseline keep the wound from breathing, which can not only delay healing time but also worsen any infection. If anything, use a water-soluble gel-like Bactroban (Mupirocin). To reduce the opacity of the scar tissue, I suggest a product like Mederma or Bio-Oil. Topical anesthetics are also great for body modification. EMLA (Eutectic Mixture of Local Anesthetics) is a best-seller. In Canada, most of these creams are available over the counter. Clients in the U.S. may wish to have their doctor prescribe one of these beforehand. If possible, it's good to have a doctor on staff to prescribe antibiotics and anti-inflammatories. In fact, for more advanced procedures like implantation, it's straight-up mandatory.

Cotton balls and swabs are for microdermals, as paper towels are for tattooing. With all liquids, start at the center and work your way out, pushing the matter away. Rubbing alcohol gets rid of residue. Betadine acts as a barrier for the skin; it's something that can just hang out over the piece after the procedure. You want plenty of green soap around, mainly for the initial wash. EKO gentian violet is best for marking; you should use toothpicks to carry this out. The round toothpicks are always better than the flat ones.

Having a spot for everything on your trusty blue bib is essential. Put a drop of ointment on every piece of jewelry inserted. It's always good to keep a small flashlight and magnifying glass on deck as well—sometimes, all these tiny parts are hard to see. Make sure neither you nor your customers are hard on these little guys. Any roughhousing, especially in the early stages, can shred up the tissue holding the anchor in place, thus expanding the pocket made for the implant. This is the cause of most abscesses related to this procedure. Green soap and saline are mandatory. Saline is a multi-liquid used primarily for flushing things out. It's like using a synthetic version of what the body makes naturally. When doing anything related to body art, always close caps and throw away cotton swabs as you use them.

BELOW THE SURFACE IMPLANTS

Now let's talk about buried objects entirely under the skin. Implantation is an advanced technique that should not be practiced until one is considered a master piercer or has been formally educated in one medical field. It's always good to have a cosmetic plastic surgeon on your team, so be nice to people and pay them to work with you.

Are these procedures legal? The degrees of legality vary from state to state, but in most cases, the answer is an overwhelming no. A good lawyer could most likely get you out of harm's way because of all the gray areas and clauses, but still, why go through the headache if it's illegal?

But let's say you've got a client. Before you do anything, ask your client to constrict their muscles to get a clear visual of any blood vessels in the path of the implant. Then, with a sharpie or skin scribe, mark these areas to be careful around them. Some people tape a dental bib with a cutout over the targeted implant area. This is a good idea when you're dealing with sites that have a high concentration of blood. (I wouldn't recommend it for tattooing, though.) Tincture of ferric chloride is a suitable liquid to use throughout the implantation process to decrease bleeding.

OK, it's time. You want to make your incision as small as possible. Make the incision no closer than an inch from the target point. At that point, we want to grab a taper, or "dermal elevator," and remove tissue from the skin to make way for the object that's about to go in. Whatever you use to pocket the skin, make sure it's dull and smooth. You want these tools to glide effortlessly through the skin layers. Then take the implant and gently slide that puppy in there. The incision is sealed up with either sutures or butterfly tape.

Just make sure you and your client are sterile. When an implant gets infected, you've got a situation. There's nowhere for the undesired energy to go, so it'll just rot around the installed object. This can be fatal, so you want to take all possible precautions beforehand to prevent any nonsense later. If an infection arises due to an implant, medical treatment is needed immediately—bottom line.

Any biocompatible material can be used to implant. The list is rather extensive. Whatever you choose for the implant, make sure it's not textured in any way and has no rough edges or chipped sides. This is important for healing and, even more so, for sterilization purposes.

(A little off-topic: I read about this dude being able to perceive magnetic fields profoundly after choosing to insert magnets inside his fingertips. He claims to pick up on changes in the polarities of "wild EMFs." Dynamic Body Art Institute is currently researching such technologies to build on them.)

No matter what the implant is, it is going to shift. To be sure, you will avoid this as much as possible by positioning it in the most fluid way possible and being sure to give your client a detailed explanation of what they must do to carry out thorough aftercare. A pressure bandage helps keep the implant in place throughout the healing process.

Unfortunately, in most cases, implants will sink into the tissue beneath them over time. It's like effi n' gravity, but this particular unavoidable force is known as tissue reabsorption. The lighter the material, the less this is a problem. Make sure, when inserting anything into anyone, that if it does sink, it won't cause any functional issues. In other words, pay attention to where you are putting these things. Some implants just can't be centered without risking complications in your client's motor skills down the road. Examples of this can be found throughout the arms and legs. You need to make sure the muscles and tendons aren't going to be restricted once these puppies are in.

This is advanced. At first glance, it doesn't seem much different from the microdermal anchoring process—just a few more steps. But understand that these last few steps change the nature of the procedure tenfold. When you operate on this level, you want to understand the skin, muscles, and bones clearly. If you can't afford to go to school to be a doctor, getting certified in massage therapy or acupuncture teaches you much of this stuff at a fraction of the price.

SCARIFICATION

Once the skin matrix is mapped out in your head, scarification is a breeze. (Note: while you practice this stuff, always ask yourself why you are doing this and what the risks are.) There are many ways to create an artistic scar, but I'm only going to mention the ones I know to be the most realistic.

Moving forward, in scarification's most primitive form, you must go over the entire tracing with a scalpel or some other sharp, sterile object. Tools are just that, tools. There are several ways to go about performing a procedure with a variety of different tools. But the unifying idea is to inflict as minor trauma on the subject as possible. The less the trauma, the better it heals.

You can even perform scarification using a tattoo machine. The main thing is keeping the area moist at all times, allowing the needles to puncture the flesh enough to scar. After all, you're penetrating the same layer of skin tattooists work on, about one-sixteenth of the skin's depth.

You don't want the wound to be too shallow, as the scar simply won't stay. And you certainly don't want to go too deep as you begin to puncture people's "armor." Some people use numbing creams. If you are going to do this, choose one that acts as both a numbing agent and a barrier that seals up blood vessels. Remember that this stuff usually only works on fresh cuts, so keep it on throughout the entire process. Don't use products like A+D or Vaseline. They defeat the purpose and make a bio-liquid that stains the shit out of virtually anything it comes in contact with.

If you're going to put anything on the wound afterward, I will go with some good old-fashioned sesame seed oil. Every few hours, wipe the wound off with gauze and immerse in hydrogen peroxide. Then reapply the oil periodically. In the shower, hydrogen peroxide and Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Liquid Soap are what most artists recommend to their customers. Some tell their customers to keep it covered with plastic. I've heard of people using lemon juice as well.

In general, scarification is most effective on darker skin for various reasons. Darker skins tend to produce keloids more easily, preventing the artist from having to fudge around with it to make it "pop." Meanwhile, it's just hard to see some tats on some people. Regardless of which breed of scarification you do or have, you want to stick to simple shapes and symbols starting. If you don't know what you're doing, the scars will run into each other, leaving your client with a grotesque blob on their skin.

As far as scarification goes, cutting leaves a much subtler scar than branding, producing more of a large, hypertrophic scar (a smooth, excessively raised scar created by thickening muscle fibers), although this is a generalization. Technique and technology have advanced these procedures. Ultimately we arrive at the truth. After healing, scarification doesn't look the way it does the day it gets done. You may see some very intricate work that looks nothing short of breathtaking immediately after it's done, yet over time most of the detail is simply blurred out. That's a given.

The flesh is a remarkable organic compound, and dozens of techniques exist in this arena. I've seen artists create patterns using a V-shaped double line. Some people cut the stencil's outline and then remove the skin with hemostats. It sounds relatively insensitive, but the fact is, you can remove several square inches of skin without any severe issues. But no matter how nice you are at this, so many things come into play throughout the healing process that it's hard to tell what the finished result will look like. You just can't call it. So be it if the right scar has to be achieved through multiple steps or even sessions. Different strokes for different folks—literally. Better safe than sorry.

Most artists tell their clients not to mess with the scars and let nature take its course, while some recommend irritating the wound in several ways, from wire brushes to harsh chemicals. It's a fact: you can increase the opacity of the scar by aggravating the scab. But again, at the end of the day, the way it comes out has more to do with your customer's genetics than your techniques. For some people, scars will cave inward instead of going out. Some like this look. It's all about making a boo-boo look pretty.

Most desire the elevated look. For this, you want to create a keloid. A keloid is the type of fibrous scar tissue we try to elicit by branding. The darker you are, the better your chances of this coming about with ease. Simply put, keloids are thick, raised lines that are lighter than the client's natural skin tone. Any healed mark is usually two to three times wider than the heated or frozen element used to produce it. Be careful with precise line work—you don't want to box anything in, so it loses its blood supply. This leaves them a heinous fl esh of a fuck. Because this construction is grammatically problematic, I'll call it a horrific hunk of fucked-up flesh; pardon my French. Mind you, that skin should be branded only in flexible areas. There's a chance your client will have mobility issues if you don't place brands correctly.

It's wise for the artist to wear a mask while branding—not so much to avoid the smell, which is indeed rancid, but to keep out the airborne pathogens that arise from burnt flesh. Any place that performs any form of body modification must use a HEPA filter and really should invest in gadgets like the Ionic Breeze and similar technologies.

For scarification, the best show in town is hands down, the medical electro-cautery pencil. The lined work produced by these bad boys' rival modern-day tattoo machines. On the other hand, cautery units also offer perhaps the most painful procedures the world of body modification has brought to the table. The healing process is said to be nothing nice either.

Some people understand the value of a self-inflicted injury. An extraordinary feeling arises as a result of a healed scar. "I hurt myself today to see if I still feel it. I focused on the pain, the only real thing," Nine Inch Nails sang.

 

 

FINAL NOTE

This book will not turn you into a professional. You will need to practice Body Art on the skin. Unfortunately, the closest texture to human skin is pig skin. You can pick that up at your local butcher if you support that kind of stuff. While you can try grapefruit, banana peels, and even “practice skin,” I have concluded that you must practice on human flesh to get this. What better guinea pig than you? You don’t want to be considered a hack in your city, do you? It’s only right you first chop yourself up before you even attempt to mark someone else. This is not only a rite of passage but an excellent way of becoming one with your machines. 

The principles of Body Art are very similar to the artistry of most two-dimensional art forms. Therefore, incorporating such modalities in your life will naturally enhance your ability to tattoo, pierce, and modify others. You know, things like painting or sculpting. You can even find ways of gaining insights about body art in the strangest places, i.e., your local tailor. Just like a sewing machine embeds thread in fabric, our machines move up and down, carrying ink to your skin.

Think of the person’s skin as just an ordinary canvas while you work. In your learning stages, stay away from thin lines. The best designs for the beginner are basic ones like roses and skulls instead of lettering and tribal symbols. This way, you can see your outlines and hone in on what you need to refine. Skills vary widely among people who perform Body Art. An individual’s level of education and guided practice determines her talent. Once you know the basics, you need to practice them repeatedly. After mastering the primary skill set, you can advance to more sophisticated techniques. Anyway, enjoy and write. I value your feedback. Thanks