I have wanted to get some scarification work done for a long time and after a bit of reading and talking to people I decided that laser cautery was the way to go. Most people say that it hurts more then just about anything that you can possibly do in the realm of body modification. Until this point in my life I have had virgin skin and I figured if I was going to start up this mountain I might as well just start at the top and test myself for all that I am worth. Wow, I got everything that I expected and more.
At A Glance Author Kajiseele Contact Kajiseele@cox.net When A week ago Artist John Durante Studio Htc Location Phoenix
About three months back I first stopped into Htc Body Piercing of Phoenix and I was lucky enough to meet John Durante for the first time. I had a sketch that I had been working on but it was still a work in progress and after looking at it John told me that the best way to do what I wanted was dermal removal because the complex yet simple lines where still a bit close together and that it would keep the lines crisp. I told him that wasn't what I wanted. We brainstormed together and decided that if I blew up my design about 50% and tightened a few of the curves, it would be just fine for laser branding.
At this point I should mention that John was amazing he was very helpful and very upfront about final product and procedure. He also told me that he had been branding for about 8 years and that this was the first time he would be using the laser unit but that he was confident he would do just fine. Well, as much as I was a bit skidish by hearing this I figured it was my first time and I should give him the chance to make it so the both of us would be going through the process as beginners. We set the date about 2 months ahead so that I would have extra time to be sure it was what I wanted and because I wanted to wait until after my final exams.
A week before we were planning on doing it I was psyched. I mean nothing could stand in my way. Well almost nothing...John called me and said that the cautery unit he was going to be using belonged to Steve Hayworth and he was just recently pulled to Japan to do some major body mod work. So we pushed it back one week until Steve was to be home. Once again the time came and I was on fire, Mind and body ready for the pain of a lifetime...the phone rang...John told me that Steve was majorly jetlagged from the trip and that we would have to push it back yet again. I was a but destroyed but I let go and agreed to push 5 more days until the following Wednesday.
Wednesday came and I turned my phone off. Smile nothing was going to stop me this time...the extended wait only made me want it that much more. That evening I arrived at Steve's Studio and there were about 10 people hanging out just like home I guess. It was really a nice and safe feeling. John and I sat outside for a bit and john told me exactly what was going to be happening and how I should expect to feel during and after. He also went over several breathing techniques for the procedure.
The time came...John put the pattern on my back and I laid down on the chair. John was very clean, changing gloves constantly and keeping me informed of the entire process. He began with a swift ¼ inch pass so that I could feel what I was in for, and to give me one last chance to bail. It was amazing, it hurt yes, it hurt more then anything I have ever felt in my entire life, but it was amazing. The combination of pain and smell and instant endorphins just threw me into a calmed state of euphoria. I still to this day can not find words to describe exactly what it felt like but as close as I have come is that if you were to be tattooed by god with a lightning bolt, or if you took 2 9-volt batteries and put them on your tongue...that vibration with intense heat, dull razors and acid all at the same time. It was like every kind of torture at the same time. But then it stopped. I was amazed when the laser was on hellfire and brimstone fell from the sky as I smiled through the pain but when the laser was off.... it was like nothing had ever happened. I mean like a light switch. The pain just shut off absolutely zero lingering pain. Well about an hour went by of quick 1inch passes and the outline was completed. The fill however was a completely different kind of discomfort...it was the same feeling and same on off effect only it want localized it was like an entire area felt it and I didn't get the same euphoric feeling from it. Then it was done and all I could think was how I could make john add to it because I didn't want it to be over. I ended up just lying still looking in the mirror for about 5 min after before I began to get up. As I got up I got the first real whiff of incinerated flesh and it was icky. The first thing I said was wow I smell like people.
After it was over I sat outside with John and everyone looked at my new piece and then I went home. On the way I picked up a few boxes of Telfa non-stick pads and Tagaderm waterproof covers.
Now the Cautery scab has come off and even wind hurts. Last night I rolled over on it and woke up stuck to my sheets. I was warned that that would happen but it still did nonetheless. It took 5 min to get the sheets off of me in the shower it was horrible. But overall it was something that I would recommend to try if you want to really test yourself. Trust me