Just like some other big name guy who shed blood for his followers, I shed blood for the readers of Modblog. People are complaining that Modblog isn’t updating and I wanted to help, but without new submissions to BME there is little for me to choose from. So instead of complaining or making excuses, I took action and used this lull in post as the encouragement I needed to get those godforsaken transdermals removed from my noggin.
First and foremost, I want to be clear I knew the risk going into the initial procedure and I realized the super low success rate of transdermals. Hell, I think the BME Encyclopedia entry on transdermal removal summed it up best.
All in all, because of the low success rate and complications, transdermal implants are one of the few procedures that BME recommends against — although we fully support people’s right to get them, if and only if they fully understand and accept the risks.It should also be noted that a variety of professionals are trying to solve the problems with transdermal implants.
I got my implants done by a highly reputable practitioner, whom I also consider a friend. As far as procedures go, it was as spot on as one could hope for. In fact, long time modbloggers may even remember this post Shannon made of them when they were brand new.
As is the case with most transdermals, they never actually healed. The wounds around the transdermal post oozed, well, pretty much constantly. The channels the implants were inserted in stayed seperated from the underlying tissue and bubbled up. Hair growth was nullified in a large circle around each of the implants……….and this is just what I dealt with in the first year.
I tried lots of remedies, some holistic, some horrific. I used everything from chamomile tea bag soaks to injecting alcohol around the transdermal stems to dry out the excess lymph. Nothing had any lasting affects. As the years went on the implants just got worse, most started migrating and the first one (as you can see in the before picture) rejected to the point of one foot coming completely through the skin.
While there has been no definitive study on the long term success rates of transdermal implants, 20% or less seems to be pretty accurate. I’d even go so far to assume that most of those will not last indefinitely and that a lot of the “successful” ones aren’t actually fully and properly healed.
I (speaking purely as myself, and not for BMEzine.com) feel that the transdermal implants, as we know them, have no place in modern body modification. The original design by Steve Haworth, was ground breaking and without that original design we may not have the microdermal anchor design that we have now. However, with the gray area legality of the implantation procedure and the unlikeliness of them properly healing, I just don’t see why they are still being commonly offered. Don’t get me wrong, if a practitioner wants to do some on a highly modded well informed client, I am not opposed, I just don’t see the point. However, the fact some practitioners will do these on any walk in client is an atrocity and a total F-You to our entire community.
One thing that I feel will certainly make transdermal implants obsolete is large gauge microdermals, such as those offered by Anatometal. With them offering micros up to an 8 gauge, that can be inserted with piercing techniques (no invasive surgery) and also removed far easier that transdermals, I just can’t see the need for an invasive and potentially illegal surgical procedure with a low success rate.
Anyhow, that’s my take on the subject, feel free to chime in your opinions on this topic in the comments. For a whole lot of photos from my transdermal removal procedure, keep on keeping on.
All photos, thanks to Robin Scott.
Have your own transdermal failure stories/pictures that you want to share? Email them to [email protected]
Comments
420 responses to “Why transdermals suck, by yours truly”
http://www.bodymod.org/aprilfools/modblog/
That was the April Fool’s joke…
http://www.bodymod.org/aprilfools/modblog/
That was the April Fool’s joke…
who took them out and why would you do this at a CON? i would think it would be a great way to get busted for doing surgery without a license. I mean I am amazed people do cuttings at tattoo conventions… doing implants and implant removal would definitely be a private procedure for me. wouldn’t want to get my practitioner in trouble..
who took them out and why would you do this at a CON? i would think it would be a great way to get busted for doing surgery without a license. I mean I am amazed people do cuttings at tattoo conventions… doing implants and implant removal would definitely be a private procedure for me. wouldn’t want to get my practitioner in trouble..
who took them out and why would you do this at a CON? i would think it would be a great way to get busted for doing surgery without a license. I mean I am amazed people do cuttings at tattoo conventions… doing implants and implant removal would definitely be a private procedure for me. wouldn’t want to get my practitioner in trouble..
who took them out and why would you do this at a CON? i would think it would be a great way to get busted for doing surgery without a license. I mean I am amazed people do cuttings at tattoo conventions… doing implants and implant removal would definitely be a private procedure for me. wouldn’t want to get my practitioner in trouble..
i highly doubt this was done on the CON floor.
i highly doubt this was done on the CON floor.
i highly doubt this was done on the CON floor.
i highly doubt this was done on the CON floor.
@79,
I have had my “carved” hand implants for 3 years now and my “carved” arm implants for 2 years. No problems so far!
@79,
I have had my “carved” hand implants for 3 years now and my “carved” arm implants for 2 years. No problems so far!
@79,
I have had my “carved” hand implants for 3 years now and my “carved” arm implants for 2 years. No problems so far!
@79,
I have had my “carved” hand implants for 3 years now and my “carved” arm implants for 2 years. No problems so far!
@79 and 90
there are carved implants, and there are jaggred, sharp edged carved by people who shouldnt IMHO be putting in implants, ive seen some really really really nice carved implants in my time, so yeah, theres a difference between carved, and “carved” so long as its good, it’ll be fine as squirrelgirl has found.
nice write up, i love the way how people forgot that this was HIS take and expriance on transdermals, i know alot of good mod artists are now turning away from doing transdermals because of the poor sucess rate, sure some people are ganna be fine with them, thats the luck of the beast, IMHO i would never get one, and if anyone told me they where going to get one, id ask them to think twice, yes thay look great, but being such a pain with aftercare, and like i said the poor sucess rate, id sooner get something else.
i used to have a navel pocketing, ok not quite the same as a transdermal, but a mix of kinda being a implant, with having bald fistula, the movment etc it soon became clear that it was never going to heal, and got in the way to much, and took it out, now if i wrote a thing up saying that id advise not to get them done, im sure id get slamed for that, but thats the way this thing seams to work.
p.s. there was an april fools modblog post on IAM, quite funny.
@79 and 90
there are carved implants, and there are jaggred, sharp edged carved by people who shouldnt IMHO be putting in implants, ive seen some really really really nice carved implants in my time, so yeah, theres a difference between carved, and “carved” so long as its good, it’ll be fine as squirrelgirl has found.
nice write up, i love the way how people forgot that this was HIS take and expriance on transdermals, i know alot of good mod artists are now turning away from doing transdermals because of the poor sucess rate, sure some people are ganna be fine with them, thats the luck of the beast, IMHO i would never get one, and if anyone told me they where going to get one, id ask them to think twice, yes thay look great, but being such a pain with aftercare, and like i said the poor sucess rate, id sooner get something else.
i used to have a navel pocketing, ok not quite the same as a transdermal, but a mix of kinda being a implant, with having bald fistula, the movment etc it soon became clear that it was never going to heal, and got in the way to much, and took it out, now if i wrote a thing up saying that id advise not to get them done, im sure id get slamed for that, but thats the way this thing seams to work.
p.s. there was an april fools modblog post on IAM, quite funny.
@79 and 90
there are carved implants, and there are jaggred, sharp edged carved by people who shouldnt IMHO be putting in implants, ive seen some really really really nice carved implants in my time, so yeah, theres a difference between carved, and “carved” so long as its good, it’ll be fine as squirrelgirl has found.
nice write up, i love the way how people forgot that this was HIS take and expriance on transdermals, i know alot of good mod artists are now turning away from doing transdermals because of the poor sucess rate, sure some people are ganna be fine with them, thats the luck of the beast, IMHO i would never get one, and if anyone told me they where going to get one, id ask them to think twice, yes thay look great, but being such a pain with aftercare, and like i said the poor sucess rate, id sooner get something else.
i used to have a navel pocketing, ok not quite the same as a transdermal, but a mix of kinda being a implant, with having bald fistula, the movment etc it soon became clear that it was never going to heal, and got in the way to much, and took it out, now if i wrote a thing up saying that id advise not to get them done, im sure id get slamed for that, but thats the way this thing seams to work.
p.s. there was an april fools modblog post on IAM, quite funny.
@79 and 90
there are carved implants, and there are jaggred, sharp edged carved by people who shouldnt IMHO be putting in implants, ive seen some really really really nice carved implants in my time, so yeah, theres a difference between carved, and “carved” so long as its good, it’ll be fine as squirrelgirl has found.
nice write up, i love the way how people forgot that this was HIS take and expriance on transdermals, i know alot of good mod artists are now turning away from doing transdermals because of the poor sucess rate, sure some people are ganna be fine with them, thats the luck of the beast, IMHO i would never get one, and if anyone told me they where going to get one, id ask them to think twice, yes thay look great, but being such a pain with aftercare, and like i said the poor sucess rate, id sooner get something else.
i used to have a navel pocketing, ok not quite the same as a transdermal, but a mix of kinda being a implant, with having bald fistula, the movment etc it soon became clear that it was never going to heal, and got in the way to much, and took it out, now if i wrote a thing up saying that id advise not to get them done, im sure id get slamed for that, but thats the way this thing seams to work.
p.s. there was an april fools modblog post on IAM, quite funny.
i feel the main issue was the location of the transdermals…. awesome pics thanks for sharingg
i feel the main issue was the location of the transdermals…. awesome pics thanks for sharingg
i feel the main issue was the location of the transdermals…. awesome pics thanks for sharingg
i feel the main issue was the location of the transdermals…. awesome pics thanks for sharingg
Oni, this wasn’t done on a convention floor. It was done in private.
Oni, this wasn’t done on a convention floor. It was done in private.
Oni, this wasn’t done on a convention floor. It was done in private.
Oni, this wasn’t done on a convention floor. It was done in private.
please show healed pics…look slike a good job
do you plan on tattooing over that when its all healed up…. good luck mate!
please show healed pics…look slike a good job
do you plan on tattooing over that when its all healed up…. good luck mate!
please show healed pics…look slike a good job
do you plan on tattooing over that when its all healed up…. good luck mate!
please show healed pics…look slike a good job
do you plan on tattooing over that when its all healed up…. good luck mate!
@83: Shawn, can you tell me how spraying an isotonic, room temperature saline solution with egg white extracts eased the irritation your transdermals were having? Do you truly believe that their product is a viable solution to the problems people encounter with “regular” piercings, no less transdermal implants? I’m not being sarcastic at all, I’d just like to hear an opinion from someone who’s so closely involved with that company.
@83: Shawn, can you tell me how spraying an isotonic, room temperature saline solution with egg white extracts eased the irritation your transdermals were having? Do you truly believe that their product is a viable solution to the problems people encounter with “regular” piercings, no less transdermal implants? I’m not being sarcastic at all, I’d just like to hear an opinion from someone who’s so closely involved with that company.
@83: Shawn, can you tell me how spraying an isotonic, room temperature saline solution with egg white extracts eased the irritation your transdermals were having? Do you truly believe that their product is a viable solution to the problems people encounter with “regular” piercings, no less transdermal implants? I’m not being sarcastic at all, I’d just like to hear an opinion from someone who’s so closely involved with that company.
@83: Shawn, can you tell me how spraying an isotonic, room temperature saline solution with egg white extracts eased the irritation your transdermals were having? Do you truly believe that their product is a viable solution to the problems people encounter with “regular” piercings, no less transdermal implants? I’m not being sarcastic at all, I’d just like to hear an opinion from someone who’s so closely involved with that company.
@95 The sutures are still in so I am a ways off from tattooing that little strip. I have a few ideas what to do there though, I am leaning towards some hand poked black work, but am still not committed to any one idea.
I will definitely post healed pics after the closures are actually healed.
@95 The sutures are still in so I am a ways off from tattooing that little strip. I have a few ideas what to do there though, I am leaning towards some hand poked black work, but am still not committed to any one idea.
I will definitely post healed pics after the closures are actually healed.
@95 The sutures are still in so I am a ways off from tattooing that little strip. I have a few ideas what to do there though, I am leaning towards some hand poked black work, but am still not committed to any one idea.
I will definitely post healed pics after the closures are actually healed.
@95 The sutures are still in so I am a ways off from tattooing that little strip. I have a few ideas what to do there though, I am leaning towards some hand poked black work, but am still not committed to any one idea.
I will definitely post healed pics after the closures are actually healed.
To clarify: the problem that I have with carved silicone implants is mostly a matter of surface texture, but also an issue of damage not visible to the naked eye done to the integrity of the block of silicone. Small cracks seem to cause problems, and an uneven surface also appear to cause problems. When carving something by hand, it become easier to contaminate the surface; although the implant will be sterilized before being implanted, that doesn’t necessarily remove the debris, which may or may not cause a reaction. Silicone is also really fucking hard to carve, and carve neatly, while it’s fairly easy to carve and polish the surface of a mold (even easier if your mold doesn’t have to be something like D2 tool steel). IDK what the difference in price is between a custom molded implant, and a custom carved implant, but I’d rather minimize the risks my going with the smoother, easier to decontaminate surface.
That said, I only have direct, personal experience with teflon, and that’s over bone. I have never performed or participated in performing an implantation procedure, so this opinion is an aggregate of the experiences of other people I have spoken to.
To clarify: the problem that I have with carved silicone implants is mostly a matter of surface texture, but also an issue of damage not visible to the naked eye done to the integrity of the block of silicone. Small cracks seem to cause problems, and an uneven surface also appear to cause problems. When carving something by hand, it become easier to contaminate the surface; although the implant will be sterilized before being implanted, that doesn’t necessarily remove the debris, which may or may not cause a reaction. Silicone is also really fucking hard to carve, and carve neatly, while it’s fairly easy to carve and polish the surface of a mold (even easier if your mold doesn’t have to be something like D2 tool steel). IDK what the difference in price is between a custom molded implant, and a custom carved implant, but I’d rather minimize the risks my going with the smoother, easier to decontaminate surface.
That said, I only have direct, personal experience with teflon, and that’s over bone. I have never performed or participated in performing an implantation procedure, so this opinion is an aggregate of the experiences of other people I have spoken to.
To clarify: the problem that I have with carved silicone implants is mostly a matter of surface texture, but also an issue of damage not visible to the naked eye done to the integrity of the block of silicone. Small cracks seem to cause problems, and an uneven surface also appear to cause problems. When carving something by hand, it become easier to contaminate the surface; although the implant will be sterilized before being implanted, that doesn’t necessarily remove the debris, which may or may not cause a reaction. Silicone is also really fucking hard to carve, and carve neatly, while it’s fairly easy to carve and polish the surface of a mold (even easier if your mold doesn’t have to be something like D2 tool steel). IDK what the difference in price is between a custom molded implant, and a custom carved implant, but I’d rather minimize the risks my going with the smoother, easier to decontaminate surface.
That said, I only have direct, personal experience with teflon, and that’s over bone. I have never performed or participated in performing an implantation procedure, so this opinion is an aggregate of the experiences of other people I have spoken to.
To clarify: the problem that I have with carved silicone implants is mostly a matter of surface texture, but also an issue of damage not visible to the naked eye done to the integrity of the block of silicone. Small cracks seem to cause problems, and an uneven surface also appear to cause problems. When carving something by hand, it become easier to contaminate the surface; although the implant will be sterilized before being implanted, that doesn’t necessarily remove the debris, which may or may not cause a reaction. Silicone is also really fucking hard to carve, and carve neatly, while it’s fairly easy to carve and polish the surface of a mold (even easier if your mold doesn’t have to be something like D2 tool steel). IDK what the difference in price is between a custom molded implant, and a custom carved implant, but I’d rather minimize the risks my going with the smoother, easier to decontaminate surface.
That said, I only have direct, personal experience with teflon, and that’s over bone. I have never performed or participated in performing an implantation procedure, so this opinion is an aggregate of the experiences of other people I have spoken to.
This is a bit late, but I can’t seem to be able to submit photos from either the beta bme or original sites. Seems as if some kinks need straightened out?
This is a bit late, but I can’t seem to be able to submit photos from either the beta bme or original sites. Seems as if some kinks need straightened out?
This is a bit late, but I can’t seem to be able to submit photos from either the beta bme or original sites. Seems as if some kinks need straightened out?
This is a bit late, but I can’t seem to be able to submit photos from either the beta bme or original sites. Seems as if some kinks need straightened out?
I think transdermals are pretty much a bad idea. Anyone saying “Oh they are so great! You guy’s just had bad luck!” is seeing what they WANT to see, not the obvious truth about them.
I had mine for a long time, what’s it been something like 7 years? Took them out the other day, generally because they are just not a good idea and have a low rate of success. (The transdermals in my head that is) For every one person that has had good luck with them long term, I can point out 10 that have had problems and had them removed.
The success rate is INSANELY low. Really, I would say 80% doing well long term is too low. I would say maybe 95% go bad, 5% success rate after a few years from what I’ve seen… and hell, even if it was 50/50%, would you buy a car that only worked 50% of the time?
Transdermals almost never work, look at the numbers. The original people getting them that had problems and gotten them removed were all pretty high up in the community and were like family. There is no “They didn’t know what they were doing, they were all idiots” excuse that can be made for the majority of folks.
I think transdermals are pretty much a bad idea. Anyone saying “Oh they are so great! You guy’s just had bad luck!” is seeing what they WANT to see, not the obvious truth about them.
I had mine for a long time, what’s it been something like 7 years? Took them out the other day, generally because they are just not a good idea and have a low rate of success. (The transdermals in my head that is) For every one person that has had good luck with them long term, I can point out 10 that have had problems and had them removed.
The success rate is INSANELY low. Really, I would say 80% doing well long term is too low. I would say maybe 95% go bad, 5% success rate after a few years from what I’ve seen… and hell, even if it was 50/50%, would you buy a car that only worked 50% of the time?
Transdermals almost never work, look at the numbers. The original people getting them that had problems and gotten them removed were all pretty high up in the community and were like family. There is no “They didn’t know what they were doing, they were all idiots” excuse that can be made for the majority of folks.
I think transdermals are pretty much a bad idea. Anyone saying “Oh they are so great! You guy’s just had bad luck!” is seeing what they WANT to see, not the obvious truth about them.
I had mine for a long time, what’s it been something like 7 years? Took them out the other day, generally because they are just not a good idea and have a low rate of success. (The transdermals in my head that is) For every one person that has had good luck with them long term, I can point out 10 that have had problems and had them removed.
The success rate is INSANELY low. Really, I would say 80% doing well long term is too low. I would say maybe 95% go bad, 5% success rate after a few years from what I’ve seen… and hell, even if it was 50/50%, would you buy a car that only worked 50% of the time?
Transdermals almost never work, look at the numbers. The original people getting them that had problems and gotten them removed were all pretty high up in the community and were like family. There is no “They didn’t know what they were doing, they were all idiots” excuse that can be made for the majority of folks.
I think transdermals are pretty much a bad idea. Anyone saying “Oh they are so great! You guy’s just had bad luck!” is seeing what they WANT to see, not the obvious truth about them.
I had mine for a long time, what’s it been something like 7 years? Took them out the other day, generally because they are just not a good idea and have a low rate of success. (The transdermals in my head that is) For every one person that has had good luck with them long term, I can point out 10 that have had problems and had them removed.
The success rate is INSANELY low. Really, I would say 80% doing well long term is too low. I would say maybe 95% go bad, 5% success rate after a few years from what I’ve seen… and hell, even if it was 50/50%, would you buy a car that only worked 50% of the time?
Transdermals almost never work, look at the numbers. The original people getting them that had problems and gotten them removed were all pretty high up in the community and were like family. There is no “They didn’t know what they were doing, they were all idiots” excuse that can be made for the majority of folks.