Extreme Body Modifications You'd Rather Not Know About

Do you think a tattoo (anywhere on the body), or a visible piercing is radical and scary? You are so out of date! When you find out about the next generation of creepy body modifications, you'll be praying your kid, grand kid or kid sister chooses a tongue piercing!

Bagel Heads: Extreme But Temporary

Do you want to look like a Star Trek character without using a mask, but not forever? Be a bagel head! A "bagel head" is an extreme-looking but temporary body modification on the forehead created using a saline drip. After an initial bulge appears, something that takes about an hour, the characteristic dip is made by pressing firmly into the center.

Bagel heads look fascinating, really bizarre, and they're impossible to miss. When hospital-grade saline is used and the equipment is sterile, this trend is safe. Over the course of the next day, the saline in this body modification is completely reabsorbed by the body, and the skin returns to normal. The "bagel head" body mod started in Canada and then spread to Japan. Unfortunately for you, if you're hoping to be a bagel head for 24 hours, it's going to be very hard to find a reputable provider no matter where you live. Attend a body mod convention if you really want to try this. 

Subdermal Implants Will Give You (Goose) Bumps

People who like the look of shapes under their skin but are looking for something (much) more permanent may go for subdermal implants. A subdermal implant will create a lasting raised shape on your skin. Subdermal implants are most often made of implant-grade silicone or teflon, but stainless steel, gold, and other materials can also be used. People who want subdermal implants will need a minor surgery. Once an incision is made, a tool called a dermal elevator is used to lift the skin up and the implant is inserted. The incision may then be stitched or sutured with surgical tape.

Subdermal implants come in all kinds of shapes. I've seen stars, skeletons, smileys, dog paws, and simply spheres. People get subdermal implants in all kinds of places — including the forehead, collarbone, arms, legs, around the ribs, and on the hands. In some cases, a person starts off with a small implant to stretch the skin. This "starter implant" is later removed and replaced with a bigger object of the desired shape. Transdermal implants are a variation of subdermal implants where part of the implant protrudes from the skin — think spikes on someone's head or jewels on their back. 

See Also: Want To Get Rid Of That Awful Tattoo?

The Next Generation Of Creepy Body Modifications

Corneal Tattoos

People with corneal scarring or leucomas, conditions that significantly impact the appearance of the eyeball, may find that corneal tattooing radically alters the way in which people react to them by making their affected eye look normal. Body modification fanatics who have the white of their eyes, the sclera, tattooed can also bet their corneal tattoos will impact their lives in a big way. It's fair to say that they'll achieve just about the opposite of what those with disfiguring eye conditions are hoping for — they're permanently altering their healthy, normal looking eyes for no medical reason, and the main result is that they'll shock almost everyone they meet.

Those looking for a slightly less shocking eye modification can choose to get a corneal jewel instead. Wouldn't a little heart or star look cute on your eyeball? You may feel like you have something stuck in your eye in the period after your corneal jewel or tattooing procedure, but you'll wind up with something truly unique in the end. 

While real people have indeed had this done, doctors will not generally perform corneal tattooing on sighted eyes because of this risk. Think long and hard about how corneal tattooing might affect your health before you decide to go ahead with this procedure! (Parents who want to convince their kids never to get this procedure, here's a tip — make them watch a video of how it's done, and the desire is likely to pass really rapidly!)

Tooth Sharpening

Tooth modification has been practiced in many different cultures all across the world for many centuries. It should come as no surprise that it also appeals to some modern folks, right? One blog suggests you can "buy a diamond-coated nail file" almost anywhere, if you want to DIY your freaky dog or vampire teeth. They do add that filing your teeth increases your risk of tooth decay, and that it's best to get filed-down teeth capped to protect them. 

Tooth sharpening or filing is clearly a form of self-expression many would consider to be beyond frightening. It's also likely to be incredibly painful as well as a real risk to your health. 

Ear Pointing

For just under $2000, you could end up looking like an elf, pointy ears and all. How does that work? Well, it's quite simple, actually. The upper portion of your ear is cut, a part is taken out, and the remainder is stitched together. The surgery, which is — do we need to point that out? — not typically performed by doctors but rather by body mod clinicians, will leave you with permanently pointed ears that you might yearn to correct when you get a little older. Did you know that some people are born with pointed ears, and that they get those fixed to avoid bullying? The world really is a weird place. 

See Also: Pros and Cons of Tongue Piercing

If That's Not Enough For You...

You could get the bones removed from your little toes so those pointy shoes fit better, have your tongue split, get intentional scars in nice shapes, or get a corset piercing — a series of piercings on your back, tied together with a ribbon.