Body modification options

One of the stranger aspects of culture in modern society is the continuing popularity of body modification. Body modification is not a modern development but something that has been around for centuries, if not thousands of years.

One of the most popular and most enduring types of body modification is the humble tattoo. This body art has been popular through the centuries and the only thing that has changed is the materials and the technique. All kinds of different people from varying different social and economical backgrounds are sporting tattoos these days, yet this was not always the case. Tattooing used to be the preserve of specific social groups, but now this is no longer the case and people are getting tattoos simply because they want to and it is more accepted by society in general than it used to be.

Body modification does not end with tattooing but instead there are more and more severe kinds of body modification that have gained popularity in recent years.

Branding is one such type of extreme body modification, in a technique that is common with marking cattle, branding involves using an extremely hot metal iron – that has been shaped into a specific design – being placed onto the person’s skin. This causes a severe burn that when healed leaves behind a raised scar that is very noticeable. This can be a dangerous body modification to undertake as the risk of the scar becoming infected is very high indeed.

There are some strange kinds of body modification out there and these include implants and gauging. Implants entail using stainless steel pieces that are buried beneath the skin to form a lump on the outside of the skin, whereas gauging is an extreme version of the standard ear piercing. This entails having larger and larger devices inserted into the hole to stretch the hole to a size as large as 2 inches in diameter.

Body modifications popularity stems from its role as an expression of individualism, but whatever kind of body modification you decide on make sure that you stay safe and lower the risk of infection by looking after it properly.