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CallaFirestormBW -> RE: Ritual scarification (7/1/2009 11:49:34 AM)
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My experience concurs with caglistro's.
Much of the work of scarification is an individual process of how one heals from certain injuries. There are a number of options, and there is no guarantee how the final product will turn out.
1. You can have a good cut, with good scabbing, and make an average amount of scar tissue, and have a scar that shows up noticeably for a while, fades over time, and eventually disappears.
2. You can have a good cut, with good scabbing, make very -little- scar tissue, and have a scar that barely shows any hint of fibrination in just a couple of weeks after scarification, and practically disappears in just a few weeks.
3. You can have a good cut, with good scabbing, and make an excessive amount of scar tissue, have the scar spread significantly, and have an unrecognizable blob when all is said and done that never really goes away.
4. You can have any combination of 'normal' healing above, together or separate.
5. You can have complications, from infection to poor scab/scar formation, to keloidosis... some of which will increase and some of which will decrease the long-term visibility of the scar.
Re-cutting is the most sanitary, effective way of ensuring that the scar you desire will be the scar you end up with. However, some people continue to develop scar tissue in a wound for -months- after the initial wound, so you may not have any idea how the final scar will look for, perhaps, 3 months or so.
One thing that I recommend for people new to scarification is a 'test' scar. First, I ask them if they've ever had surgery or a -clean- wound, and I take a good look at how that has healed. I find out if they have a propensity for keloid formation, or a type of scarring that would impact the design. If they're prone to keloids, I will let them know that I don't recommend scarification or branding for them -- keloids can be a real -bear- to deal with, and the surgery to repair a serious keloid can effect a lot of physical and emotional trauma. For those who just have unusual scarring patterns, I base the size, the method/style, and, in some ways, the shape of the final design on that history. I also find out if they've had any 'persistent irritation' wounds, like piercings, and see how -those- heal as well. Sometimes, a single-instance wound will heal just fine, but an individual will start developing healing problems with 're-irritation' wounds like piercings or re-cuttings. Something about going back over the wound and messing with it causes them to start building up excessive scar tissue or keloids. For people who clearly have wound-healing issues, I won't recommend things like cutting or branding, which may not turn out like they wanted by the time they're healed.
If they've never had a "clean-cut" wound that I can look at, I typically chose an area that is -not- readily visible, but which has similar skin texture and subcutaneous structure as the area where we're planning on putting the scarification, and I do a simple, clean, and very -small- cut... 1/2 to 1 inch long, tops. Basic aftercare is followed, and I watch it to see how things heal. Sometimes, if I have concerns about keloid formation, which is more prevalent in certain skin textures and types, we'll do a single re-cut of the test wound to make sure that the additional trauma to the area doesn't generate an excess of scar tissue.
I typically recommend re-cutting for the best chance of a nice, clean, well-developed scar-line. I've had some folks who preferred to use other methods, and I've used (autoclave sterilized) clay, herbs, and tattoo ink, and (heat-sterilized) logan-bush, oak, and pinon ash on scars to 'set' them, but found that the results were less controllable when foreign substances were used (however, the tattoo ink did result in some very interesting and complex scars, as the color didn't 'scar out' evenly, leaving a woven-branch pattern in the scar that was -really- beautiful!).
Many of the people that I pierce, brand, and scar, and many of the people my daughter tattoos and pierces are -not- into pain. They're getting their body modification done for a specific purpose, and are willing to suffer through the pain to get to that point. I am pierced and tattooed, and I am not a fan of pain, either -- but the intensity of the experience is what makes the difference for me. Also, it's important to remember that the pain of a body modification doesn't end with the piercing, cutting, branding or whatever -- aftercare will have a bit of pain as well, and you'll have to do the care on yourself a couple of times a day. I find that a lot of people forget that part, and then squick over having to do the necessary after-care.
If you want to make sure that your piece comes out looking -exactly- like you want it, you and your Mistress may want to talk about having a tattoo done rather than a cutting. The results are a lot more consistent with tattoo...and you can even get 'invisible' tattoos now, that are only visible under black light--I'm seriously considering getting some facial work done with the 'invisible' ink, whereas, because of my need to be of neutral appearance while I'm in the professional opportunity that I'm currently in, I would never get facial work done right now with regular inks, no matter -how- much I want it.
Dame Calla
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