Scarification?..Check
Got through my first scarification, so stoked with the final outcome<3
I looked online for two weeks deeply researching every aspect of scarification I could only to find that most the questions I had were still unanswered.
It’s still an hour and a half fresh and I’m just starting to get the feeling back and the numbing spray is waring off slowly.
First off, I did no drinking or partying the night before or day of (and yes this means no painkillers that thin blood). If you do intend on going to get one- Go with a full stomach. I brought some candy bars and a redbull for some help in case I felt faint, if you pass out you’ll probably be unable to finish and sugar helps you from doing so. I brought two of my really good friends who were interested in the procedure along to help me if I needed anything a.k.a a hand to violently squeeze.
Placement and design were all premeditated and symbolic to me so fuck off if you don’t like it. After placing the outline and giving myself some motivation to go through with it we began the very, very tedious procedure.
So what most people want to know, does it hurt? YES, it hurts, but so does getting a piercing or tattoo! I choose the cutting/carving method and I have tattoos, the feeling is similar on the initial cuts. A long drawn pressure but next to nothing I would consider painful, until they being slicing through the second time, then you start to feel some sharp pain followed by the wet cool blood that begins seeping out. It feels like exactly what it is luckily the scalpel is sharper than a razor so you hardly feel it, its a tingling sensation at first. I don’t necessarily like pain, but sometimes it was enjoyable not often but some parts. Other parts made me sound like a pissy old woman and squeeze my friend’s hands to keep me from wanting to punch my artist or them in the face.. When ever I closed my eyes I pictured how it felt in detail I felt like I was watching it happen up close so I laid back and kept my eyes open the whole time, it felt like it hurt less that way haha. I had privacy walls around the station so it wouldn’t bother the other clients but a few workers and customers would curiously pop their heads in here and there to see the progress.. and the faces I made. Them checking in and the casual conversation helped keep my mind off what was really going on to my body.
I did the first 30 minutes until we felt comfortable at a check point to take a cigarette break, which was well needed for me even if it was only 1/3rd done. It’s bone chilling cold in New York so it made my bare legs freeze instantly but I found when I went back inside it helped numb it a little from the temperature change which was a relief. This is were my breathing exercises came in handy. slow deep breaths, staying completely still besides the occasion toe-curl or back-arch or head shaking for putting myself through this. I sat for another 45 minutes and was pleased to see I was only going to take another 30-45 minutes, so I asked for another cigarette break and to freeze my legs again. When we came back to start the last of the 3 sittings he had to open a third scalpel and he could tell my leg was a little worn out so he offered to put some numbing spray on it I quickly agreed but it burned, a lot worse than him cutting it before it numbed it and it did virtually no relief for the cuts my artist hadn’t made yet. It took about 2 hours to finish and the touch-ups to make sure its all the same depth was interesting, it was numbed but still felt it wiggling around inside my fresh cuts.
Yes, I would do it again but I think I’ll finish up some tattoos and wait a month until I see how this one heels.
(via fuckyeahscarified)
