Body modification is not new. People have been giving themselves tattoos and piercings for hundreds of years. The ancient Aztecs used to think heavily tattooed women were the height of attractiveness. Other cultures think that lip plates are a sign of beauty. In the past we have had all kinds of strange, painful things like foot binding in China where women would tightly wrap their feet in strips of cloth to make their feet smaller. Those few women still alive who practiced foot binding now have crushed, misshapen feet that would be beyond the concept of beauty for most people today.
Some see those who are into modification as a group of people who tattoo their entire bodies, split their tongues, shave their heads and have more piercings than ear cartilage. The truth is that anything that changes how you look (even in a semi-permanent fashion) can be considered a modification. If you have dyed your hair or had your ears pierced then congratulations you have practiced body modification!
If I had the guts do you know what I would have done? I"d have my ears pointed. That"s right; I"d have the full Vulcan. The procedure involves having a small wedge of cartilage cut out of the tip of each ear and the remaining parts sewn together. Over the next few months the ear heals and reattaches. The result is a pointed ear like an elf.
Want to know what"s stopping me? The sheer number of things that can go wrong"
This is not a "surgical" procedure (despite it involving sharp implements, blood and human flesh.) This is not completed by a plastic surgeon in a hospital. This is carried out in the same places people go to get tattoos and piercings. By the same people who carry out tattoos and piercings. I"m not going to lie; the people who are world famous for carrying out this mod are artists who care for their clients to the best of their ability. But as they are not surgeons they can"t, for example, use any anaesthetic. You are going to feel every single moment.
If you"re a little braver than I am and the thought of pain doesn"t put you off then the prospect of infection might.
The number one thing that would put me off would be the horror of being faced with something completely unlike what asked for. You might remove the dressings to be faced with an ear that looks like it"s been mangled by a lawnmower. This seems funny; we all hear the stories of people who have had tattoos done by "artists" who can"t draw two straight lines (or spell for that matter.) But it"s not funny for the person who is now stuck with their artistry for the rest of their lives.
There have been incidents of clients suing their body mod artists for heinous mistakes that have cost them their looks. It sounds vein but it doesn"t matter if they were going in for an ear piercing or an ear reshaping; no one is asking to be maimed. Mistakes in this field do not count as hospital negligence because no one from the medical profession was involved. They do class as Personal Injury, however, which is something that we also deal with.
How to reduce the risk of getting mangled in a body mod decision:
1) Make sure you really want this procedure. Never get anything done under the influence of drink or drugs. Never decide to get something done on a whim. Never decide to get something done because your friends have had it done. Think about it for a long time before you decide to go ahead with something. Think about the future. Will this affect your home life or your work life? Will you still want this mod when you"re 60?
2) DO YOUR RESEARCH. I cannot stress this enough. If you want something done to your body that cannot be undone you had better make sure you know everything there is to know about the procedure and its effects. Most professionals who carry out operations such as this will likely give you a truckload of information beforehand but some might just assume you know what you"re letting yourself in for and start "chiselling." What does the procedure involve? How do I prepare for it? How much is this likely to hurt? How do I care for the wounds afterwards? How long will this take to heal? What are the signs something has gone wrong? What do I do if I get an infection? How much is this going to cost me?
3) Never pick someone to carry out your procedure based on price alone. For every person out there who knows what they are doing there are three other people who will offer you substandard service for a fraction of the price. This is irritating when picking someone to tile your bathroom but if that someone is coming at your face with a scalpel it can be downright horrific. Just in the same way that cheaper does not mean better, more expensive does not mean better either. Speak to the person themselves, ask about their experience, ask to see a portfolio and try to speak to other people who have had the same procedure done by the same person. Listen to the bad as well as the good.