Scarification

From Freepedia

Scarification is a permanent body modification that uses scar tissue produced by the body to form designs, pictures, or words in the skin. Scars are most often formed by cutting or branding the skin. Scarification is sometimes called cicatrization (from the French equivalent).

Contents

History

Scarification has been used for many reasons in many different cultures:

  • Scarification has been used as a rite of passage, be it adolescence, or to mark of the emotional states of the wearer of the scars (such as times of sorrow or well-being).
  • Scarification by deliberately burning skin is called branding (see that article) and has historically been used to mark slaves and criminals, usually with the brand being visible and often letter-coded reflecting the crime.
  • The Maori of New Zealand used a form of ink rubbing scarification to produce facial tattoos (called "mokos") which were considered to make the Maori's bodies complete, and their bodies were considered to be naked without tattoos. Tattoos were unique to each person, and facial tattoos served as a sort of signature -- some of the Maori chiefs even used the pattern of their facial tattoos as their signatures on land treaties with the Europeans.
  • In some cultures, the willingness of a woman to receive scarifications shows her maturity and willingness to bear children.
  • Scarification is also associated with the body modification movement.
  • It is fairly common in West Africa and New Guinea
  • facial scarring was a popular practice among the Huns.
  • Facial scarring from academic fencing was regarded as a badge of honour among the 19th century European duelling fraternities.

Reasons

  • Scarifications are usually more visible on darker skinned people than tattoos.
  • Endorphins are released in the process of obtaining the scarification that can put a person into a high or euphoria.
  • Unlike tattoos, scarifications are a product of one's own body.

Methods

Scarification is not a precise art; there are many variables, such as skin type, depth of the cut, and how the wound is treated while healing, that make the outcome somewhat unpredictable. The body creates the scar, not the artist; it is important to keep in mind that a method that works well on one person may not work so well on another. Also, the scars tend to spread a bit as they heal, so scarifications are usually relatively simple designs -- small details can easily get swallowed up in the healing process.

Branding

  1. Strike branding -- This is basically the same process used to brand livestock. A piece of metal is heated and pressed onto the skin for the brand. However, the brand is usually done piece by piece rather than all at once. For example, to get a V-shaped brand, two lines would be burned separately by a straight piece of metal, rather than by a V-shaped piece of metal.
  2. Cautery branding -- This is a less common form of branding that uses a tool similar to a cautery-iron to cause the burns.
  3. Laser branding -- The fancy term for laser branding is "electrocautery branding." The electrocautery unit is more like an arc welder for skin than a medical laser (though it is possible to use a medical laser for scarification). Electric sparks jump from the device to the skin, vaporizing the skin. This is a more precise form of scarification, because it is possible to regulate the depth and nature of the skin damage being done.
  4. Cold branding -- This rare method of branding is the same thing as strike branding, except that the metal branding tool is subjected to extreme cold (such as liquid nitrogen) rather than extreme heat. This method will cause the hair on the brand to grow back white and will not cause any keloiding.

Cutting

(not to be confused with self-harm)

Lines are cut with surgical blades. Extended cutting techniques include:

  1. Ink rubbing -- This is where tattoo ink (or another sterile coloring agent) is rubbed into a fresh cut. Most of this ink will remain in the skin as the cut heals, and will have the same basic effect as a tattoo. (Though, as with tattoos, it is important not to pick the scabs because this will pull out the ink.) The general public often interprets ink-rubbings as badly done tattoos.
  2. Skin removal/skinning -- Cutting in single lines produces relatively thin scars, and skin removal is a way to get a larger area of scar tissue. The outlines of the area of skin to be removed will be cut, and then the skin to be removed will be peeled away. Scars from this method often have an inconsistent texture.
  3. Packing -- This method is uncommon in the West, but has traditionally been used in Africa. A cut is made diagonally and an inert material such as clay or ash is packed into the wound; massive keloids are formed during healing as the wound pushes out the substance that had been inserted into the wound.

Abrasion

Scars can be formed by removing layers of skin through abrasion. This can be done using a tattooing device (with no ink), or basically anything to remove skin through friction (such as sandpaper). This method of abrasion is somewhat common for people who wish to do their own scarifications, and are just trying things out -- they will use a needle/pin to scrape away the skin into the pattern they wish. This is not recommended -- safety first!

  • Chemical scarification-- This type of scarification uses abrasive chemicals to induce scarring; the effects are typically very similar to other, simpler forms of scarring so there has been little research on the method.

Healing

The main school of thought on how a wound should be treated is irritation.

  1. Irritation -- Generally, the longer it takes a wound to heal, the more pronounced (the darker or more raised) the scar will be. So, in order to have very pronounced scars, the goal is to keep the wound open and healing for the longest time possible. This is done by picking or scrubbing away the scars and irritating the wound with chemical or natural irritants such as toothpaste or citrus juice. With this method, it can take a wound months to heal, and the scar may be inconsistent.
  • Keloids -- Keloids, (also a verb: to keloid) are raised scars. Keloiding can be a result of genetics, skin color (darker skin types are more prone to keloiding), or irritation. Keloids are often desired for the visual, 3-D effect and for the way they feel to the touch.
  • If an enclosed space --such as a circle -- is cut or branded, it is possible that the skin inside of the closed space will die off and scar because of a lack of blood.
  • Touch-ups -- If a scarification does not heal in the desired fashion, secondary scarifications can be done to help achieve the desired effect, such as even scarring, or detail.

Dangers/Cautions

Scarification is intentionally causing harm/trauma to the skin -- it is not safe. However, assuming that the scarification artist and the person getting the scarification are well informed, scarification falls within the category of "acceptable risks."

  • Infection is obviously a concern. Not only do the materials for inducing the wounds need to be sanitary, but the wound needs to be kept clean, using anti-bacterial solutions or soaps often, and having good hygiene in general. It is not uncommon, especially if the wound is being irritated, for a local infection to develop around the wound. A strong immune system will heal this local infection in due time, but the bearer of the wound/scar needs to pay close attention to make sure the infection is not spreading and that they are not showing any signs that the infection has spread into their bloodstream, in which case a doctor needs to be contacted.
  • The scarification artist needs to have a working knowledge of the anatomy of human skin, in order to prevent cutting too deep, burning too hot (or cold), or burning for too long.
  • Scarification isn't nearly as popular as tattooing, so it is harder to find experienced artists, and for artists to get experience.
  • Precautions are made for brandings, such as wearing masks, because it is possible for diseases to be passed from the skin into the fumes produced when the skin is burning.

See also

External links

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