Scarification and Psoriasis

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Saturday October 17th, 2009 @ 5:13 PM

Filed under: Scarification

good day to all of you in AskBME-land,

I have a question concerning the viability of getting a cutting or branding. I’m going to provide a (little) bit of background information. Here goes:

I was diagnosed with psoriasis at the age of 19. Psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune condition which affects both skin and joints. It causes red, scaly patches on the skin, which are characterized by inflammation and excess skin production. It is triggered by stress (emotional, mental, and physical - eg., injury or wounds), illness, as well as other sources like drinking and smoking. It is absolutely NON-CONTAGIOUS.

I have had my psoriasis under relative control for the past few years, with the exception of a few flare-ups due to several bouts of tonsilitis and strep throat that i’ve dealt with, as well as a quite a bit of emotional duress that i’ve been dealing with for the past few months due to a family tragegy.

At the moment, after five years, other than an isolated area on my elbow, my psoriasis is in check.

Does anyone know if i could ever successfully heal a cutting, skin removal scarification, or a branding with psoriasis? I have wanted scarification work done for years and years and years, and have only been held back by the psoriasis.

A year and a half ago, after much agonized debate and not much medical guidance, I got a rather large tattoo done on my upper arm and it healed with relatively no problems, other than a little bit of lengthy healing time.

I also have several facial and body piercings, 48mm lobes (that i have continued to stretch after diagnosis), and several other (pre-psoriasis) tattoos.

Does anyone have any advice/experience/information they could pass along? Does anyone know of any scarification artists that have any experience with chronic skin conditions? I live in Calgary, AB, Canada, but i’d be willing to travel within North America if I could be connected with someone who could possibly help me.

Thanks for listening to this long-winded question.

I hope som

Well this is right up my alley!

Earlier this year, after a bout of severe strep throat, I was diagnosed with Guttate Psoriasis.
I’m still learning more about this condition (Which really is just a gnarly asthetic issue more than anything, isn’t it!)

Coincidentally, I had a large tattoo outlined on my thigh a couple weeks before my initial flareup and diagnosis. Most of the linework flared into psoriasis spots and continues to do so during any flareup, unfortunately. I’m prepared for any future body modifications to be subject to flare ups as well.

I’d say that if you’ve been tattooed and haven’t experienced a lot of site-specific flares, you’d likely be good to get some scarification as well. *I don’t think psoriasis discriminates against the types of wounds that trigger flare ups.

If you’re in Calgary and you’re looking for someone with experience with Psoriasis and scarification, I would certainly contact Wayde Dunn. He’s a scarification artist who lives and works in Edmonton, AB. He’s also my partner and we live together so he sees the ups and downs of psoriasis flare ups regularly.
I won’t speak for him, but I would guess he’d suggest you have any flare ups under control and to prepare your body with some appropriate rest, hydration and vitamins before hand to reduce the risk of a flare up after a cosmetic invasive procedure such as scarification.

*Of course the only person who can give you accurate information about your skin and psoriasis is your doctor. I can only offer personal information about my specific experience.

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