BME: Body Modification Ezine

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Celebrating body modification culture since 1994.

Tag: Flesh Removal Scarification

  • The Friday Follow-up

    Written by

    Rob

    We’re going to kick off Friday with a big black arm.  While I was digging through the archives to find a great pair of before and after shots I realized it had been a while since we’ve seen scarification over top of blackwork in a while.  Thankfully the_absolute sent in this pair of pictures of a scar he did earlier in the year.

    Fresh

    Keep on reading to see how the scar turned out.

    Healed

    I love how well this turned out.  At first glance you wouldn’t even know it was a scar.  You can check out more of Iestyn’s work in his scarification portfolio gallery.

    The single most asked question when it comes to scarification and branding photos is “what will it look like healed”.   So we’re always on the look out for fresh/healed scar photos, so if you’re an artist who would like to be featured in the follow-up, or you’re someone who has scar work done, please send in your photos.

  • The Friday Follow-up

    Written by

    Rob

    This Friday we’ve got a special edition of the follow-up.  JesseV from Thrive Studios in Cambridge, On was gracious enough to send in a pair of healed scars.

    First up we have a scar from two years ago.  The detail in this photo isn’t great, but it should give you the rough idea of the scar before you see the finished product.

    Fresh - 2 years ago

    Next we have a scar that was done about one year ago.  What you’re seeing is the end result of a 6 hour cutting session.

    Fresh - 1 year ago

    To see what both these scars look like today, you know what to do.

    Two years later, that flower now looks like this.

    Healed - 2 years later

    As for that marathon 6 hour session, here’s what came of it, one year later.

    Healed - 1 year later

    You can see more work by JesseV in his BME portfolio gallery.

  • Domo Sayagata, Mr. Willie

    Written by

    Rob

    This sayagata patterned cutting was done by Sweden’s own Willie.  The recipient is actually Willie’s apprentice, and I have to say that is one lucky apprentice.  At the time this photo was taken the scar is 4 days old, which is a nice time to take a picture as the scar is still fresh, but the bleeding has stopped and any swelling has died down.

    Given the level of detail required for a design like this, I’d day Willie pulled it off really well.

  • She’s Heartless

    Written by

    Rob

    Ok, so she may not be heartless, but she is missing some skin in the shape of a heart.  Normally when we see scarification and tattoos combined it’s a scar design over top of blackwork, or a cutting used to enhance a tattoo (or vice versa).   In this case we’ve got a scar that cuts right through her vast assortment of chest tattoos.  It gives a nice contrast to them as it shows that underneath her skin, which is covered in spider webs and zombie legs, she has a heart that is strong enough to push through her exterior.  So no matter what someone may judge about how she looks from the outside, what matters most is what is inside.  Then again we’re here to admire her, which shouldn’t be a problem considering how pretty she is.

    You can check out more of Anders’ work in his scarification portfolio.

  • The Friday Follow-up

    Written by

    Rob

    It’s Black Friday which means you’re either out brawling in store over the best deal on overpriced electronics, or you’re curled up at home nursing your food hangover.  In either case, it is still Friday which means it’s time for another scarification follow-up.

    This week we’re looking at another scar by John Joyce.  Now there are two fresh pictures as the cutting was done in multiple sessions, which means you’ll get a chance to see how the initial cutting healed up in the time between the two sessions.

    Fresh

    Fresh

    Keep on reading to see how it healed up.

    Well, it’s been 15 months now since the scar was cut, and here’s how it looks today.

    It’s interesting to see how the scar healed differently in the area by the knee as opposed to the upper thigh.  I’m guessing that has to do with there being more movement in that area.  To check out more of John’s work, head on over to his scarification gallery.

    If you’ve had scar work done, or are a scarification artist, please send in your fresh and healed scar photos for the Friday Follow-ups.  One of the most popular requests I get whenever a fresh scar is posted is for a follow up photo.

  • When great minds get together

    Written by

    Rob

    Recently Efix Roy had a chance to do a guest spot at Exotix Studio in Toronto, home of Six.  Well, these two artists came together to produce an incredible collaborative scarification piece.  This graffiti inspired chest piece took about 4 hours to complete.

    As always, you can check out more work by Efix in his scarification gallery.

  • The Friday Follow-up

    Written by

    Rob

    This week the Friday Follow-up is taking a look back at a scar that was ModBlogged back in August.   Gabor’s OM scarification piece had a few people confused as to where exactly it was located on the body, but the healed pictures today clearly show the scar around the navel.  Before we get to the healed picture, lets check out the fresh cutting.

    Fresh

    To see how the scar has healed in the past few months, keep on reading.

    Don’t ask me how the outie turned into an innie, I just don’t know.

    Healed

    If you’d like to check out more of Gabor’s scarification work, take a look in his BMEzine scarification portfolio gallery.  While you’re there you can check out other artists that have been featured in the Friday Follow-ups, like John Joyce, Brian Decker, Efix Roy, and many more.

  • Fresh and Clean

    Written by

    Rob

    With the Friday Follow-up we get a chance to see scars and brandings months and years after the initial session.  It allows us to see the result of scarification process over time, which for many can be a contributing factor in their decision to get a scar.  Of course everyone heals differently, but it can give people some ideas of what to expect from the process.

    What we don’t often see is the early stages of healing.  Those first few days before the scabs start to form, when it is just an open wound.  Last week we saw a scar of the BME heart logo by John Joyce on a young woman named Casey.  We got to see the cutting as it was being done, and completed, just moments before the dressing was applied.

    Casey was kind enough to send in another image which was taken just after the first cleaning of the scar.  It’s interesting to see the scar this fresh, but without the blood that is present when the cutting first takes place.  Hopefully Casey continues to send in images of the healing process so we can all see some of the steps involved in the healing of a scarification piece.

  • Heart at work

    Written by

    Rob

    It’s always interesting to see a master at work, and when that master is John Joyce, you can expect to see something fantastic.

    Curious as to what John is cutting?  Keep on reading to find out.

    Casey Nichols sent in these pictures of her BME Heart cutting, and the larger versions can be seen in the BME Logo Scarification gallery.  Also, if you’re interested in seeing more of John’s work, check out his own gallery.

    Hopefully we get some pictures of the scar down the line for a Friday Follow-up post.

  • Oh yes, there will be blood

    Written by

    Rob

    A lot of the scarification pictures that we see are often clean.  What I mean by that is they’re taken after the work has been finished, and the site has been cleaned up for a good photo.  That or we see the healed scar some time later.  One of the most significant aspects of scarification is the process.  It’s not always just about the final result.

    With a scar you have those first few cuts of the outline going in.  The blade slicing open your body, breaking the surface of your outer shell.  As it continues, the blade becomes a paintbrush, with every stroke a work of art being crafted out of your own flesh.  Then the removal begins.  These lines that have broken your skin are now used as point to remove whole sections of your flesh.  As your armor peels away, you become exposed fully to the world.  That thin layer of protection is forever gone, and you are forced to show the world what is truly inside you.  Then as the scar begins to heal, a new layer begins to take the place of the old.  While that old layer was a small barrier to the outside, this new barrier, having come from within is tougher, stronger, ready to show off what has come from deep inside you.

    The process of a scar isn’t meant to be pristine.  It is a raw experience, where you shed not only your flesh, but your blood.  It is a cleansing ritual where the outside is removed, cleaned with the blood, and healed by the body into something new.  While other modifications use metal and ink as a form of expression, the scar is created entirely by the body.  Of course ink and metal can be incorporated into it depending on who the person is, but the process is on a base level the same.

    In a recent addition to the skin removal scarification galley, we can see just how revealing this process is.  Here you have a person in the process of having their flesh removed, revealing the person buried just beneath the surface.

    hxc_vega904

    And here we have the final shot of this portion of the process, the traditional clean picture.

    hxc_vega904

    The rest of the images from the cutting can be found in the scarification gallery.  And yes, there is more blood.

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