Acts of body modification, even when performed by experienced professionals, can still have unpredictable results, and even the best-laid plans can go unexpectedly awry. Such was the case for this gentleman above, who, following a cutting, thought he was well upon his way into healing when things took an unfortunate turn.

This just goes to show you, even in a sterile environment and with proper aftercare, things can still go wrong. I followed precise aftercare, cleaning and re-dressing my wound 2-3 times a day, etc. Everything was going great until the seventh day of healing, when I developed two small pink areas. Talking to my artist via phone (who will go unnamed) we discussed the possibility of a heat rash but he wouldn’t know until he saw it in person and told me to stop wrapping it. I woke up the next morning and I saw what you see in the photo, which took about only nine hours to develop. Needless to say, I’m now taking two types of antibiotics, four pills a day; hopefully it will clear up soon. I can’t help but feel bummed because less than two days ago, everything looked perfect. Over the years, this is my first body modification to ever go wrong or become infected.

See more in “Misc. Cuttings“ (Scarification)