This FAQ isn't even remotely complete. I've done my best, but it contains any number of errors and omissions. If you are an EXPERIENCED PRACTITIONER and would like to help, it is definitely appreciated. Please email any feedback on this FAQ to glider@bmezine.com

The first version of this FAQ was written in 1995 to replace the retired rec.arts.bodyart Alternative Bodyart FAQ written by Lani Teshima-Miller.

Version 1.00 - Original (1995)
Version 2.00 - Complete rewrite, loosely based upon original (March 2002)

First of all, you may not change the text of this FAQ in any way, and any quotes from it should include the author/maintainer's name and web URL: Shannon Larratt, http://www.bmezine.com/

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The basic categories are branding (scarification through burns, either from heat, or from lasers or electrocautery devices), cuttings (fine scarification using a thin blade, sometimes coloured using tattoo ink, sometimes including the removal of patches of skin), and various other less common means including the use of chemicals and other non-traditional means.

Many people that do these forms of body modification are doing it to mark a rite of passage in their lives. Even though many people hold that scarification is no more painful than tattooing, it is somehow more "intense" to most people. It has very symbolic meaning to them and often their peers or partners.

Up until quite recently, in modern western body art, most of this was done in an S&M environment. However, now that the vast majority of people interested in body modification have had little to no contact with the S&M community, that has changed, and many people are getting these types of modifications for purely aesthetic reasons. Some people just like the way it looks!

In addition, scarification "works better" on darker skin tones than tattooing can, which is masked on heavily pigmented skin. In addition, because scarification has a three dimensional aspect, many people enjoy the feeling of healed scars (like the ad says, "Chicks dig scars").

By far the largest risk is the aesthetic one. Branding, cutting, and scarification are far from precise arts, and because the call for scarification is much smaller than that for piercing or tattooing, most artists are simply not that experienced. In addition, even experienced artists have trouble getting consistent results because there are so many variables in the healing process. To compensate, many artists feel it's responsible to stick to relatively simple geometric designs, rather than more intricate patterns.

Additionally, there are risks of infection, as with other body art, but this is minimised with proper wound care. Also, improper technique (for example cutting or branding to deep) can be extremely dangerous, so be sure your artist knows what they are doing!

Finally, I want to point out one that thing on the aesthetic risk: it's not the artist that creates the scar, it's your body. Everybody scars differently, so a technique that works great on one person may look horrible on another.

Most simply put, keloids are raised scars. That said, not all scars are keloids -- keloids are a very specific sort of fibrous scar tissue that the body produces in response to trauma. As far as the use of the word "keloid", it is both a noun, and a verb. The verb, "to keloid" means to create these raised scars of course.

Keloiding is in part related to the amount of melanin in your skin; the darker your skin, the better you generally keloid. That's part of the reason why light skinned people have historically stuck to tattooing and dark skinned people have stuck to scarification (plus scarification shows up better than tattoos on dark skin). People who are genetically prone to keloids can pretty much leave their fresh scarification alone and be left with large even raised keloids, whereas other people will need to artificially irritate the wound in order to have it raise.

Strike branding is the most common and most traditional form of branding. In it, applying a piece of heated metal to the skin makes the brand.

A strike is an individual brand "hit". A full brand design is made up of many separate strikes, each of them making up a small segment of the final design. Strikes will definitely overlap, and the artist may re-brand certain areas for consistency (or to brand large flat areas).

Cautery branding is the use of a more modern tool such as soldering iron-type devices to apply the burn. Some smaller medical cautery units can be used to create very small precise brands.

"Laser" branding is a term coined by Steve Haworth as an easy way to explain his electrocautery unit to the general public. Although medical lasers could certainly be used for scarification, this branding is done using a device similar to an arc welder for skin. The body is grounded, and a spark jumps between a cutting electrode and the skin, vaporising tissue in its path.

An electrocautery device offers the ability to exert very precise control over the depth and nature of tissue damage, allowing the experienced artist to build up a texturally diverse scar.

Ideally a healed branding looks like a pattern of thick raised lines, slightly lighter than skin colour. However, the amount of raising or keloiding varies greatly, dependant on a large number of factors. Sometimes these scars even inset rather than raise.

Strike branding generally produces fatter, more raised scars, with modern cautery devices being able to produce a more subtle line.

Strike branding actually hurts much less than most people expect -- in some ways it's a "head game" as much as a physical ordeal. Proper strike branding hurts for a second until the nerves are burned away (not like a minor burn, like on your stove, which only burns the surface). That said, please don't read that as it being painless -- it still hurts A LOT both during and after the strike being applies.

It should also be noted that the endorphin rush can be quite extreme, and some people find the subsequent euphoria disorienting (and sometimes addictive). When getting branded it is recommended that you go with a friend who can help you get home if you find the experience overwhelming.

Cautery branding (including "laser branding") is generally considered to be far more painful than strike branding, with many people going so far as to claim that it's the most painful modification they've ever gone through.

Finally, independent of the pain of the procedure, during the long healing period the brand will be very sore, especially if it is on a body part that flexes (thereby causing the wound to break and tear slightly as you move).

Hot enough to do sufficient damage to the tissue so as to form a permanent scar. Depending on the person's skin and the individual style of the artist, it can be anything from a propane torch to a lowly candle to the nature flames of an oak fire pit. Most experienced artists lean toward a propane torch.

Strike brand utensils are metal, either as complete tools, or as small shaped pieces held in vice-grips. Metal holds the heat well, and effectively and quickly (and predictably) transfers it to the skin.

Most artists choose to make their branding tools out of thin high-grade stainless steel sheet metal. That said, other materials such as silver, random metal findings (bolts, etc.), and even ceramics have been used. Metal allergies and biocompatibility does come into play to some extent, but in general any foreign substances will come off with the scab (if they're even transferred at all).

As far as the thickness of the metal, thinner is usually better. It's easy to heat, and easy to form, and only carries a limited amount of potential damage (whereas a red-hot 1/2" bolt can do enormous damage if held against the skin for too long). Remember as well that a brand will typically heal to three or four times as thick as the utensil, and usually never be thinner than 3/16" (about the same as the line drawn by a fat magic marker).

The whole brand is not done as a single brand. The design is divided up into many smaller sections no larger than about an inch and a half. These smaller sections may be shaped of course (i.e. arcs instead of lines). It should be noted that a small area of skin is enclosed in branded tissue (for example a small circular outline brand), it will probably die as well and become part of the scar (as it can lose it's blood supply).

The brand is pressed in long enough to burn through all the surface skin. If this is not achieved the client will be left with a lot of pain and blistering, and then after healing either no scar, or a blotchy mess that barely resembles their design. As far as how long and hard, this really depends on how much the material has been heated.

Most important though is that all of the strikes are even in relation to the skin they're on as this will increase the chances of the brand looking uniform. It should be noted that as a brand is done, the skin in the area will contract, deforming the tissue and slightly changing the way following strikes are absorbed.

The fumes from branding contain active biological matter from the person being branded, and certain diseases can be transferred via these fumes. This was discovered because doctors who were removing genital warts were being diagnosed with cases of genital warts inside their sinuses. While most viruses and bacteria that can affect humans will be killed by the heat of branding, a small number will not be and this MUST be taken into consideration.

Shops providing branding must at an utter minimum use a HEPA filter. Wearing masks while branding is also considered a minimum requirement. In addition, if possible, a vacuum directing the fumes into a filter system is a good idea (although this is not in general use).

This idea is so ludicrous that I feel bad even including it in this FAQ, but I have been asked this question constantly over the last ten years. Again, when a brand is made, it will spread a great deal. Usually a brand will heal to three or four times the width of the utensil used to make it. So if one uses an initial brander (which creates quite tiny letter), the final product will just be a blob. A brand should be large and simple enough that it compensates for spreading. You'll get the same results if you just put a cigarette out on yourself (and no, don't do that either).

The problem with soldering irons, wood burners, and similar devices (including small handheld medical cautery tools generally used to control small bleeders) is that they don't retain enough heat to be used with any degree of reliability. In order to use them effectively, one must brand with so many "re-heat" pauses that undue pain is given to the client.

If a tool such as these is to be used, it should be as powerful as possible to make the branding experience (and product) a positive one.

A brand (actually all scarification) takes a long time to completely heal. Brands go through a few phases, which different greatly in length (and nature) from brand to brand.

First a brand will go through a scabby phase where they look like an absolutely horrible wound. This phase generally takes from a few weeks to just over a month. Then the brand will look like a quite bright red raised scar which slowly becomes pinker, and then eventually slightly lighter than normal skin colour. This stage takes between six and twelve months for most people, and additional raising may occur during this period.

There are two main schools of thought as to the aftercare of scarification in general. Many artists believe that a LITHA ("leave it the hell alone") method is best. Assuming that the initial cuts are well done, by leaving it alone, the body will generally heal a fairly consistent wound. The downside of this method is that if the person's genetics are not prone to keloiding, that the amount of raised scar will be fairly minimal.

The other school of thought on scarification aftercare is to irritate the wound (using a variety of methods ranging from simply picking the scab, to rubbing it with steel wool or a toothbrush, to using chemical and exfoliant formulas). Irritating a healing scar will greatly increase the amount of scarring, but at the same time, almost always leads to inconsistent scarring (that is, different parts of the scar will raise different amounts).

If your brand (or any scarification) doesn't heal the way you'd like it to (for example, inconsistent keloiding), you can have it touched up using secondary scarification sessions.

Yes, but the scar has to be WELL HEALED (in generally, at least a year old). Assuming that the scar is well healed it should be able to hold ink just as well as "normal" skin. If the colour is solid (for example a large black area) the scar will probably still be quite visible, but if the tattoo is multicoloured it will mask most scars.

Some people, especially those who are not genetically prone to keloiding, also choose to "exaggerate" a healed brand by outlining it in a light red or white, making it easier to see.

Scarification operates through controlled injury. It is not safe. That said, many things we do every day are not safe either. Practised responsibly by experienced practitioners, scarification of all kinds should fall inside "acceptable risk".

In theory a cosmetic surgeon can remove a brand using lasers and other advanced techniques, but it will be very expensive and not necessarily effective. Don't get a brand if you don't want one -- it's a serious burn resulting in a serious burn scar, and must be removed as such. Think of the time it takes for a burn victim to cover their scars.

Under any realistic context, removal of brands is not an option.

Historically (in Europe), branding was generally limited to punishment. Both the English (and S on the cheek) and the French (a fleur de lis on the shoulder) branded criminals, along with almost every other culture. In modern times, black fraternity members commonly get brands of the fraternity's letters.

Cutting is a form of scarification where a design is cutting into the skin using a sharp blade, leaving a relatively precise scar. A healed cutting usually looks like a slightly raised scar in the shape of the original design. However, the artist can also produce lines as wide and raised as with branding should they choose to.

Cutting (as in self-cutting) is a symptom of a larger psychological problem. It is generally marked by slashes on the arms and chest, rather than primarily aesthetic cuts. In no way (other than they're both cuts) are these activities related, and if an artist feels your motivations behind seeking scarification are suspect they will not work on you. An online search for "self-injury" will return many helpful resources for those who suffer from this illness.

Ink rubbing, first popularised primarily by cutters working inside of the lesbian S&M community, is cutting where tattoo ink (or other colouring agent) is rubbed into the fresh cut. Much of the ink stays lodged in the cut, resulting in a coloured scar. That said, usually a great deal of the ink falls out with the scabs, leaving what looks more like a poorly done tattoo than what the general public will recognise as an ink rubbing.

It is essential that the fresh scabs from an ink rubbing NOT be picked. Just like a tattoo, if you pick the scabs, you will pull out the ink. Let the scabs fall off naturally. Once the ink is fully encapsulated in the scar, you can rub the scar if you want, but not before.

With a sharp scalpel and even cuts, it's no worse in pain than a tattoo -- for many people less. That said, it's a very different feeling to be cut, almost like long paper-cuts, over and over. While not inherently agonising, the adrenaline response may be far greater than with other body modification, and it's important that you be monitored after the cutting. If the procedure includes ink rubbing, that usually stings quite a bit.

Generally small medical scalpels are used. These may be either single piece disposable units, or blades that can be mounted on a variety of handles (with some people using swivel handles). The specifics are largely up to the personal preference of the artist.

Quick answer: NO.

Longer answer: Hobby blades are no sharper than surgical blades (in generally they are far duller). They are wider though, with multiple microscopic serrations giving the illusion of feeling sharper, but actually causing them to slightly rip the tissue they're cutting through rather than making a clean slice. In addition, many hobby blades contain a thin coating of oil which can irritate the wound (and not in a good way).

That said, even though hobby blades are not acceptable for scarification, some artists prefer their handles to those of surgical blades. Surgical blades may be mounted in the handles of hobby blades, but this is entirely up to the personal style of the artist.

It depends greatly on the desired effect, but, to generalise, cutting is about as deep as a tattoo (into the "permanent skin" but not through it), or about 1/16". Cutting deeper increases the amount of scarring, but also increases the chances of serious complications. A shallow cut on the other hand may heal entirely, leaving no marks at all. Additionally, some artists choose to cut a V-shaped double line.

Cutting by default creates only a relatively thin single line. Some advanced artists actually cut the outline of larger areas and then remove these patches of skin. This allows larger areas to be relatively precisely converted into scars.

"Safely" is a relative word of course. Your skin is your primary means of defence against our extremely hostile environment, and the more of it is compromised, the more risk you are at. Most people seem perfectly able to heal a few square inches of skin removal without complication, and I have seen single piece removals as large as almost thirty square inches (a six inch circle) heal successfully.

That said, skin removal should be treated as highly dangerous. Admittedly it will a make consistent scar more difficult, but there's no reason that this type of procedure can't be done over multiple steps.

Clamp and cut is a precursor to skin removal scarification. In a clamp and cut procedure, a small area of skin is lifted up using a clamp, and then cut off. Similar effects can be achieved by using biopsy punches to remove small circular patches of skin.

If deep cuts are made on an angle, the resulting wound can be packed with "relatively inert" clay and other substances. While this type of scarification is largely unheard of in the West, it was quite common in Africa until recently.

During healing, massive scars envelop or force out the clay -- this is one of the harshest methods of scarring, but is by far the most effective if huge keloids are sought. That said, the results are not generally even so be prepared for something that nearly everyone will assume was a horrible, horrible accident. Recutting and repacking can be used to fine-tune the results.

Please note that NO reputable practitioners will offer advanced techniques such as this to the general public (nor should they).

Chemical scarification is the use of chemical agents to damage the skin and induce scarring. Most people agree that the results achieved using this technique are not that different from those achieved using other, far simpler, safer, and more predicable methods. As such, little research has been done into this method.

Typically they are not that extreme. To answer a common question, if you attempt to replicate the chemical branding shown in the movie "Fight Club", the odds of you getting similarly dramatic results are slim to none. Achieving heavy scarification using chemical means is unpredictable and dangerous, and little to no documentation exists to guide practitioners. At present, it is not recommended to pursue such methods of scarification.

The amount of scarring produced is difficult to produce, and without masks, it is almost impossible to form precise shapes. That said, by using a "masking technique" similar to that used when painting flames on a hotrod, edges can be specified with an acceptable degree of precision.

Ranchers experimented briefly with chemical agents to mark animals (they were looking for methods that allowed them to mark their animals without damaging the valuable hide). An acidic agent was developed to achieve this, which ate away the hair and left a scab similar to that with a burned brand. However, the effects were not as easy to see as a heated brand, and animals tended to smear them by rubbing them after application. Now, these branding compounds have all but disappeared from the market.

Some people choose to use various chemicals rubbed into traditional cuttings in order to induce exaggerated scarification.

Instead of using base or acidic chemicals to burn down into the skin, and instead of rubbing chemicals into cuts, some people actually inject questionable chemicals under the skin. In some cases, these blister up and form a permanent scar, resembling the inoculation marks of the past.

Abrasive scarification is scarring achieved using friction to remove enough layers of skin to create scarring. Abrasive scarification is generally used to create subtle unraised scars, but it can be used to create almost every type and texture of scar.

Tattooing works by reciprocating needles passing repeatedly through the surface of the skin. If a tattoo artists is too "heavy handed" (that is, tattooing too deep, or needlessly spending too much time in a given area, grinding it up), the tattoo will heal with some degree of scarring.

This can be done on purpose as well. If a design is drawn on the skin, and is then tattooed in very hard without the use of ink (using either nothing, just water, or even an exfoliant abrasive), it will heal as a scar. Depending on the amount of destruction that is done, this scar may be anything from a "normal" raised scar to nothing more than a slightly discoloured patch.

The Mamiya technique, named after its creator Eizo Mamiya (not by his request I should add), is more commonly known as "Dremel scarification" since it is often done using the Dremel hobby tool. Using various grinding heads, the tool is used to "carve" the scar into the surface of the skin.

Artists have experimented with a variety of abrasive tools, including vibrating glass engraving tools.

A very small number of people have experimented with cold branding using liquid nitrogen. "Freeze branding" is extremely rare, if not largely unheard of, among body modification enthusiasts, but many ranchers regard it as the best way to brand their animals as it does only minimal damage. The animal is easy to identify as any hair that grows from the brand grows in white, and this effect is permanent.

The actual procedure is surprisingly similar to strike branding. Instead of immersing the (often copper) iron into the heat of a propane torch, the iron is bathed in a solution of liquid nitrogen (or any number of other cooling agents -- another common solution is a 5% dry ice, 95% pure alcohol solution). The iron is then pressed to the flesh. The amount of time is determined by the thickness of the skin; the thicker, the longer. For horses and cows, this usually means between thirty seconds and a minute -- for humans it should be far less.

If a good brand has been achieved, an indent in the shape of the brand is left; within five to fifteen minutes it becomes level and then swells up. When hair grows back it should be white. If the brand is left on longer, the hair won't grow back at all (but the amount of scarring should be minimal). Many ranchers prefer freeze branding because of the LACK of any keloiding (and because it's less traumatic to the animal).

Freeze branding takes a lot longer to do than fire branding, and as such is not economically viable to the larger ranchers who need to process staggering numbers of animals. In addition, freeze branding takes a few days to become evident, whereas fire branding is immediate.

Everything that I know about the way the body heals suggests to me that BRAIDING IS AN URBAN LEGEND.

That said, I'll tell you the story anyway, just don't try and replicated it.

The general concept behind braiding is that three strips of skin (or more) are lifted up and left attached at one end (sort of like the start of a skinning). Then, these strips are braided and packed down close to the body. The stories go on to say that when healed, the resulting scar looks very much like braided bread.

Unfortunately that's just not the way the body heals. If someone actually attempted this, the braided skin would not get adequate blood supply on top of not being able to adhere to the tissue below, resulting in necrosis. In a best case scenario it would be an aesthetic nightmare, as well as the potential start of serious medical repercussions.

If you want the appearance of braided skin, cautery branding is most likely to be able to give you something that resembles it.

Chaotic scarification is the conscious enactment of "chicks dig scars".

Certain activities -- be it BMX racing and other extreme sports, or be it fighting or punching out windows -- tend to lead to scars because of the injuries they bring. Many view these scars as desirable, and not only seek them out by putting themselves in harm's way, and by rubbing irritants into any wounds to induce them to scar.

Almost every (but not EVERY) scarification artist working in the Western world is also a body piercer. The easiest way to find scarification artists local to you is an Internet search, coupled with visiting the better piercing and tattoo studios in your area.

Ask to see a portfolio. If the portfolio does not contain many well-healed pieces, then you have no way of telling what the artist's work turns out like. It's not hard to make a scarification piece look good right after it's done -- it's far more important how it heals. Additionally, if you can, read any experiences about the artist on BME and talk to their other customers.

I can't stop you from doing this, but the best way to get a low quality scar is to do it yourself. Self scarification, while common, is not recommended.

It varies greatly -- some artists don't charge at all, and others charge a great deal. This variation is not linked to the quality of work. In general, a scarification of a given size will cost about the same as a tattoo of about the same size.

Laws vary from place to place, and advanced methods of scarification (chemical branding, etc.) as well as methods using modern tools (such as medical electro-cautery devices) may not be fully legal.

Scarification such as cutting and branding which has an established history is legal when performed in a consensual context in most jurisdictions.

Most artists are self trained, but this is not the most responsible option, especially nowadays. The best way to become a scarification artist is by apprenticing under an experienced practitioner. As far as how to achieve that, get to know one on a personal level and take it from there.

In addition, it is important that young people reading this realise that under no circumstances should scarification be considered as a "career" -- the commercial market is just not large enough.

Fakir Musafar (www.bodyplay.com) offers group training in traditional scarification techniques, and has recently added some modern (cautery) techniques as well.