Urban body art with Body modification

Nowhere in the world of body art is the ritualistic aspect of this art form more obvious than scarification. While scarification is certainly not for everyone, it is rooted in the same tribal traditions as piercings and has been found across cultures as an important rite of passage marking the end of one's adolescence. In modern society, advanced body modification has becoming particularly popular form of male body art. Taken to its most extreme expression, this form of body modification can involve some modifications that are not for the faint of heart. The primary forms of extreme body modification include:

• Branding: body branding is precisely what it sounds like and involves the application of a red hot figure of metal to the skin for the purpose of leaving a scar.
  
  
  
  
• Scalpelling: consists of the use of a sharp scalpel to make precise incisions in the skin, sometimes with the purpose of removing an entire portion of surface flesh for dynamic scar.
  
  
  
  
• Implants: there are various types of implants involved in advanced body modification projects, but one of the most common is the implantation of cosmetic spikes into the forehead or eyebrows.
• Beading: beading is a separate form of implanting in which beads are surgically inserted under a persons skin for the purpose creating a symmetrical series of bumps within the flesh.

As you might expect, extreme body modification is not without its risks. Most forms of scarification and implants are technically surgical procedures, and many extreme body artists lack formal medical training. As a result, it is considered largely up to the people who elect to undergo these procedures to be responsible for their own medical safety. The vast majority of body modification enthusiasts take their health very seriously though.

Professional and amateur photography of examples of extreme body modification can be found in many corners of the internet, but the most important website to this lifestyle and body modification in general is found at the huge website BME.com. Body Modification Ezine, or BME, also has excellent resources on safety standards, a vast archive of informative articles and a thriving forum of active members.