Wednesday July 30th, 2008 @ 10:40 PM
I’ve had my heart set on getting a fairly large branding on my back. It will mainly be on my spine. This may be a silly question, but I suppose it’s better to ask than not. Is there a chance such a branding might affect my spine in any way?
Other than the standard risks of branding- not really. You MAY have mobility issues depending on placement and how the brand heals, but there’s no danger in damaging the spine if you go to a professional.
+5 / 5 votes 
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Posted by Shawn Porter | Permalink | Comments
Friday July 25th, 2008 @ 11:39 AM
Is there anyone out there that may know how to self cut the bladder muscle or the urinary sphincter that would force the recepinent to have to wear a collection device 24/7 or some kind of protectiojn 24/7. I know that there are some people here that have done uretral re-routs. I am hoping someone can help me with this. thank you, spankey
The safest way to achieve this is with a urethral stint. The stint is basically a hollow tube with a textured outside that your bladders sphincter will grab onto and not be able to close around.
+5 / 27 votes 
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Posted by Sean Philips | Permalink | 2 Comments
Thursday July 24th, 2008 @ 3:02 AM
I am pretty experienced with piercings and tattoos and some suspension, but I’m kind of new to scarification..I was wondering, why is it that when people get scarification day, they hope for keliods? Or are happy when it does result in keloids? And c’mooon..please don’t give me a crab-apple kind of answer because I’m new and want answers but wherever else I look, I can’t figure out exactly why..all I have is a few ideas. Thank you BME, you rock 
But what if we reeeeeeally want to give you crab-apple answers? Crab-Apples are delicious and nutritious! I miss my old Crab-Apple tree!
The reality is those who want raised scars hope for keloidal scarring because when it keloids, it raises a lot more then average/normal scar tissue.
However although there are MANY people who want really raised scars, there are just as many who want subtle/flat scars.
When a scar keloids its more visual and able to be seen. Where as when it doesn’t keloid the lines can be very thin and without a close up inspection, many people won’t know its there.
Although depending on the certain scarification that is done, keloid scarring can be more problematic than helpful. Case in point awhile back on ModBlog the documentation of the individual who had 3 scars on his chest/ab region and it keloided out of control and needed to be removed,etc.
Hence why anyone who is looking into scarification should really grasp the understanding of keloid scarring, hypertrophic scarring,etc. As well as how such scars will impact the region that is about to receive the scarification project, and if any complications could potentially arise from it.
+3 / 9 votes 
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Posted by Warren Hiller | Permalink | 2 Comments
Wednesday June 25th, 2008 @ 3:28 AM
Since I discover BME a few years ago I’ve been in love with the idea of a scarification piece, however I have pasty white skin that bruises easily but doesn’t hold scars very long. Even scars from burns don’t last very long. In fact the only scars on my body are a few stretch marks and a very small one on my nose. Is there a particular method of scarring that is better suited to those of us who glow in the dark? Thank you for your time.
As a pasty white chick who notoriously doesn’t scar and has experimented with (and endured) several attempts at scarification (including electrocautery branding, simple cutting, and flesh removal) with practically no scarring to show for it, my advice is this: if you KNOW you don’t scar much, personally, I wouldn’t bother wasting my time with scarification, unless you’re really just into the process and not so much the end result. Successful scarification has far more to do with the wearer’s genetics than the artist’s techniques, IMHO.
+10 / 12 votes
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Posted by Lori St.Leone | Permalink | 3 Comments
Friday May 30th, 2008 @ 6:41 PM
I am one of those people who gets piercings and tattoos to releave stress, but recently money has been tight, and I have been unable to get to a decent piercing parlor. I am too afraid of the negative consequences of piercing myself, and i have turned to cutting. although this may sound more destructive, in reality, my cuts are shallow, harmless, and nearly painless. I do it for the calming adrenaline rush, not for suicidal reasons, and it has done me a world of good.
my problem is that although the crowd here on BME is tolerant and understanding, my immediate family and friends… arnt. I am afraid that if (or when) they see the scars, they will assume the worst, that I am suicidal and unstable.
basically I was wondering if anyone has dealt with a similar situation, and what the outcome was.
There is a variety of things I could get into about cutting/self-harm etc. etc. However, I’m not here to lecture anyone about their choices, unless the things they are doing are clearly putting themselves in danger. Then, I’m happy to lecture.
Perhaps I can offer an alternative that might “do the trick”, but probably runs the risk of leaving scars:
Play piercing
This could very well give you the adrenaline rush and the stress-relief you seek, without leaving too many noticeable marks (although, be aware that bruising can occur with play piercing). I know that money is part of the reason you’ve turned to cutting, and I realize that play piercing needles aren’t free. However, you might be able to save a bit of money and invest in a box of play piercing needles that could last you quite a while.
There are a variety of sources for play piercing needles, but BME Shop is of course a great option.
The comment forum is available for anyone who wants to give a more direct answer to the question that was asked.
+3 / 5 votes
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Posted by Derek Lowe | Permalink | 5 Comments
Monday May 12th, 2008 @ 9:15 AM
Filed under: Other
hey just a quick one, is it poss to have my frenum cut without getting a lisp or speech impedement?
Possible is a sticky wicket.
Yes. It’s possible. It’s also possible to get your tongue split with no affects to your speech- but it’s also possible that you’ll thound like thith. There’s really no way to guarantee it 100%.
is it probable?
Again- yes. It’s probable that you’re speech will totally unaffected by having the lingual frenulum cut. Ankyloglossia (being “tongue tied”) is common enough that performing a frenotomy (though unpopular in some circles) is a medically approved option that carries with it the hope of untethered movement of the tongue and improved speech.
+4 / 6 votes
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Posted by Shawn Porter | Permalink | 3 Comments
Saturday May 3rd, 2008 @ 8:16 AM
I’m considering having my navel removed but as it’s a major mod I want some advice. I have a sort of inny-outy belly button meaning it sticks out a little and then folds back in, the way the two inner pieces of skin rub together it leaves raw skin which gets infected. So this modification is for both practical and aesthetic. I wondered if anyone here had had their navel removed, how they had it done, where, and how much it costs.
Thanks
Charlie
I’d strongly advise you to speak to a plastic surgeon, since you’re basically asking for a mini-abdominoplasty. Any surgery to the abdominal wall like that is pretty significant and not something I would personally trust a cutter to do, especially since actual, medically-trained and recognised surgeons do thing like that all the time. If you live anywhere near any major metropolitan area in the world, you should be able to find a plastic surgeon who could easily do this for you, but the price will vary and you’ll want to have a consultation with the doctor to explain what you’re after and get their input on the matter. And good luck!
+28 / 38 votes
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Posted by Lori St.Leone | Permalink | 4 Comments
Monday April 28th, 2008 @ 12:52 PM
About a year ago I got a scarification in between my shoulder blades. It was a fairly fine design and it healed too well and too quickly. I didn’t get any keloid. I’m just curious if it’s even possible to cut wider and deeper around the scar that’s already there (in essence, cut out the scar tissue that is there) in hopes that a wider deeper cut will create the desired keloid.
It’s very likely that you can have the piece reworked. You’ll want to find someone with an “above average” skill-set as far as scarification goes- so do your research and find someone at the top of the game.
+10 / 10 votes
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Posted by Shawn Porter | Permalink | 2 Comments
Wednesday March 5th, 2008 @ 12:31 AM
Since I was a young kid, branding has always been a way to deal with certain kinds of stress. I remember being at a halloween party when I was 9 years old, and the people had those little candles on poles and lit a piece of hay letting it get red hot and then putting it on my hand out of interest. But as I got older, branding took over a different meaning. Back in september, I was really stressed out over finances, I thought my wife *at the time fiance* was pregnant, and I was at a dead end job. So, I did the branding on my upper right bicep. And it was fine, until about a month after I did it, it started to form a keloid. And since then, it’s just been a reminder of an unhappy moment where things weren’t as bad as they appeared. I was wondering if there are ways of having mod artists remove it? It’s about an inch long and it’s just one of those things where it’s not enormous, but it’s noticable to me, and I’d hate to have my future children ask me what it is.
To simply answer your question off the bat, yes there are certain mod artists out there who might feel they are skilled enough to do this procedure (see: http://modblog.bmezine.com/2006/10/06/when-scarification-goes-bad/). However I would strongly consider the fact that the majority of mod artists out there will not have performed this type of procedure, nor probably have the skill/understanding of what to do. My suggestion is to seek out a plastic/re-constructive surgeon instead, but you can source out a mod artist should you want to go that route.
The reality is that you currently have that scar tissue and the most you can probably do is reduce the scar, depending on the type of scar (how big,etc) you have, by surgical removal and then with the proper sutures and suture techniques.
However ask yourself this, why spend all that money go through all that surgical procedure, only to have a minimized version of the previous scar (that’s if the procedure goes smoothly,etc)…It will almost always be there in some form or another, so instead of focusing on the negative aspects of that scar…Why not focus on the positive?
As you said: “it’s just been a reminder of an unhappy moment where things weren’t as bad as they appeared.”
So by converting that brand from a negative, you can focus on the positive…That things are never bad as they may appear, and that you can overcome these trials and tribulations life throws at us. Instead you can use that brand as a means of giving you strength during very hard times….That no matter how hard you might think life is, you can simply look at that brand and say: “You know what? This isn’t THAT bad, things could always be worse!”
Just something to think about my friend, before you spend a lot of time and money in removing a larger scar, to be left with potentially a minimized version of its former self.
+6 / 8 votes
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Posted by Warren Hiller | Permalink | 1 Comment
Wednesday November 21st, 2007 @ 11:59 PM
Hey!
I wasnt sure who to ask, so I decided to ask here!
I’ve been interested in body modification for a while, and waited until I was legal age to get all of my piercings. (Even lobes, I didnt want them done with piercing guns, haha)
My mother has never been opposed to any of my piercings, and was surprised I didnt ‘go out and get a tattoo on my 18th birthday’. She has always known I’ve been interested in tattooing and piercings, but she doesnt know about my interest in scarification.
That said, holidays are coming up. My mother has been pestering me for ideas about gifts. Theres nothing I really want/need, but I was planning a cutting piece in December that-because of holiday gift overload-I can no longer afford. If this was a tattoo, I’d have an easy time asking for her for a gift of the financial type towards it, but I feel scarification is so taboo. I know shes not “old school” enough to fear tattoos and piercings, but Im afraid scarification will just make her awkward and think that I need medical attention of some sort. (That said…shes a Doctor!)
Do you have any references to articles other then the “What parents need to know” article? (Possibly not on your site?) I find it a bit lacking VS the scar FAQ which seems extremely excessive just to inform a parent that Im not insane in any way, and this IS safe.
And just to note: I dont live at home anymore, legal age, etcetc all that good stuff 
The parents situation is always a VERY hard situation to go through. Some parents say they’d rather their kids be pierced then tattooed and vice versa. With that being said the same thing can be said in regards to scarification, some parents will appreciate it and some won’t… Luckily I personally have a mother who can find the artistic merit in the work and actually likes my scarification sleeve.
One thing you can do is start roaming around BMEZine and searching various galleries about scarification pieces and show them to your mother to discuss them. Ideally your best option is to not show the bloody freshly done photo’s but either a couple days after or even ideally fully healed photo’s will work best.
Scarification when done by a qualified artist is no different than getting tattooed when it boils down to it. So just be like: “Hey mom, check this out!” as there’s many amazing photos you can pick and choose from and then touch on the artistic subject matter.
You’d be pretty surprised what parents will open up to if they are accepting of other mods (piercings and tattoos)… I always thought my mom would hate my arm, but she was very accepting of it. Perhaps if you handle the situation just right, you’re mom will be accepting of it as a means of self-expression,etc.
But if you don’t discuss it, you’ll know what could potentially have been…It doesn’t hurt to at least try right?
+4 / 4 votes
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Posted by Warren Hiller | Permalink | Comments
