Scars make better stories than tatoos

[Wahine]

That scarification link made my stomach turn. I'm not putting it down. I just got a little grossed out by the mental image of the process of skin removal or branding. Ick.

I had a client once from central africa that had traditional scarification done to his entire face. it was in an amazing whorling pattern. It was far more beautiful than any other body art I have ever seen.

[Kitsune06]

I have a couple of brands of my own, but I must admit, they're not quite to the quality I would want them. I want to have a real artist do that for me at some point- once I figure out what I want. I think scars have definite appeal to them over ink. It's a pattern in the layout of your skin and body... what is more unique than that? take a wound and let your body do with it what it will- beautiful. and if it's still tight, take some vitamin e and do some gentle massaging of the area. helps a lot. my brands are 5 or 6 years old now... the 'best' of my scars is closer to 10-12. we shall see.

[missymaya]

I've read some articles on scarification but it really never interested me and I've always associated branding to 2 things: cows and fraternities. I know there's more to it than that, but I just can't get over that. I'll just stick to the needles and ink, thank you

[emily_in_nc]

No interest in tatoos, intentional scars, or piercings other than one hole in each ear (I'm a complete pain wimp!), but I have a very nice 6" scar on my right ilium from my pelvic fracture and subsequent surgery in 2005. When I first saw the frightening incision, angry and red, with stitches, I never believed it would turn into this tiny, white, nearly invisible hairline scar over time. My surgeon did good! I could even wear a bikini if I didn't have middle age spread around my hips!

Emily

[silver]

I just saw this thread. You guys have some impressive ones. I'm probably middle of the pack

Starting from the top:

top lip - vertical scar - fell on step at age two and got stitches and then feel the next day and ripped the stitches out

Left shoulder blade - silver dollar sized white spot - road rash from Bike wreck in 10/06

both breasts underneath - one inch scars from implants in 05

right side next to breast 1.5 inch scar from chest tube placement - bike wreck 10/06

both elbows red road rash scars - bike wreck 10/06

both wrists - red road rash scars - bike wreck 10/06

right hip large dark patch about 6 inches by 4 inches from hematoma with a 2 inch scar from the open wound (seems like the hip bone cut the skin open from the inside) bike wreck 10/06

half inch scar on my right thigh - needed 3 stitches - accidently cut by knife by a friend. She had it in her hand and I was sitting next to her. she moved her hand down to move the chair back so she could stand and cut me. It was the strangest thing to look inside before it started to bleed.

both knees - red road rash - bike wreck 10/06

right knee - chain ring scar - no motion fall over

left calf - three cogs of the chainring form triathlon - 8/06 - I was running the run part and a friend said what happened to your leg? I didn't want to slow down so I asked the next person that I passed if my leg was bleeding and which one. Blood was dripping down my leg to my sock, still not sure what I did.

bottom on right foot, 2 inch surgical scar from removal of bone chip (probably due to running)

Mr. did I miss anything?

[Aint Doody]

Yikes, Silver! I think you win........

[Kitsune06]

I... uh... don't think we're having any kinda competition...

[wannaduacentury]

These are kinda silly to all the other major scrapes you ladies have(love the stories though). The main ones I have are when I was in 8th grade, I ran my 3 wheeler into barbed wire and had to have stitches in my neck(missed my carotid artery by mere millimeters-got it stitched up and off I go. I was going slow btw. And yesterday 2/17 I went on a club ride and was unclipping to stop, I had my left undone and was working on my right and down I went LOL. I hit my knee and scraped it( my knee still hurts b/c I landed on it but the scrape now matches my left where I fell riding clipless last summer. Bike wasn't hurt either.

[Mr. Bloom]

I just saw this thread. You guys have some impressive ones. I'm probably middle of the pack

Starting from the top:

top lip - vertical scar - fell on step at age two and got stitches and then feel the next day and ripped the stitches out

Left shoulder blade - silver dollar sized white spot - road rash from Bike wreck in 10/06

both breasts underneath - one inch scars from implants in 05

right side next to breast 1.5 inch scar from chest tube placement - bike wreck 10/06

both elbows red road rash scars - bike wreck 10/06

both wrists - red road rash scars - bike wreck 10/06

right hip large dark patch about 6 inches by 4 inches from hematoma with a 2 inch scar from the open wound (seems like the hip bone cut the skin open from the inside) bike wreck 10/06

half inch scar on my right thigh - needed 3 stitches - accidently cut by knife by a friend. She had it in her hand and I was sitting next to her. she moved her hand down to move the chair back so she could stand and cut me. It was the strangest thing to look inside before it started to bleed.

both knees - red road rash - bike wreck 10/06

right knee - chain ring scar - no motion fall over

left calf - three cogs of the chainring form triathlon - 8/06 - I was running the run part and a friend said what happened to your leg? I didn't want to slow down so I asked the next person that I passed if my leg was bleeding and which one. Blood was dripping down my leg to my sock, still not sure what I did.

bottom on right foot, 2 inch surgical scar from removal of bone chip (probably due to running)

Mr. did I miss anything?

Yes, from head to toe - one beautiful woman!

[Kitsune06]

The things some people overlook!

[ClockworkOrange]

I've read some articles on scarification but it really never interested me and I've always associated branding to 2 things: cows and fraternities. I know there's more to it than that, but I just can't get over that. I'll just stick to the needles and ink, thank you

Cows, fraternities and BDSM'ers!
Scarification. This can be the most dangerous of all the body arts. Not to be tried at home.

Branding causes a 3rd degree burn which is highly susceptible to infection. The artist cannot create the scar; the body does, as each body is different, each scar will be different!

Hmmmm, think I will just stick to my one tattoo.

Goodness, I am lucky after reading the scars that many of you have, I have an appendicitis scar, nothing else worth mentioning.

Yes, Silver...........think you deserve an award.

(Off thread...........Silver, congrats on becoming a Spin Instructor)

Sally

[Kitsune06]

Mine are pretty tame.
Right ear- (now) mild ridging from a dog attack when I was 2 or 3. Don't remember much of it anymore.
2" scar runs from between my index and middle finger knuckles to mid-way down on the back of my left hand,
an ink spot on my thumb knuckle, left hand, (don't ask)
pencil 'tattoo' on left palm, 'catching' the pencil my darling little sis lunged at me with
a multitude of much smaller scars up my arms from soldering, dropping things in pickle, injuries, etc (I'm serious, I do not look good under blacklight as far as my arms are concerned)
1/2" roundish scar from a 'brand' that didn't turn out on l bicep
1" dia pentangular scar from a brand that turned out a little better on my shoulder (both were more for myself than anything else)
two tolkein runes beneath the pentangle that turned out very well and are now mostly invisible aside from the obvious discontinuity with the rest of the surrounding skin
Crossing over...
The bridge of my nose has a permanent bump from breaking it as a kid (and probably a re-break later moshing)
a smaller scar on the top of my shoulder from a playground incident (ok, I got run over...)
middle finger, last knuckle is a little 'bigger' and 'crunchier' than the rest, from an old football injury
index finger, 2nd knuckle has a scar from when I got two stitches
round scar on top and bottom of wrist from cat bite abt 5 years ago
Moving on...
some decent scar tissue on my chest (only visible via blacklight) from sliding down a tree having tried my dad's climbing tree stand. Bad times.
Left leg, just above my knee I have a 1.5" long, 1/4" wide scar from attempting to carve with a scalpel. I ended up slipping and carving my leg. oops.
Left knee- still some pink divots and streaks from high velocity gravel implantation. =P
Right calf, very faint now, was much more prominent, 5" long narrow scar from a logging incident
I think that's it for me. I do appreciate brandings. the design has to be fairly open, fairly simple, because it *is* your body making the design, not you. You have to work *with* nature instead of against it. Therein lies the art.

[CyclChyk]

I'm hoping I'm not the only one with this particular kind of scar but in my younger more *stoooooopid* days, we did this thing (when we drinking of course) where two people would place their arm side by side and lay a lit cigarette at the junction of the two and the person who pulled their arm away first lost. Not that there was a prize or anything but it was *cool* to end up with the resulting scar.

Yes I have that scar. Yes, I am a loser.....................

I did mention it was my MUCH younger days, right?

Oh and of course there is the way cool scar on the inside of my right calf where I dismounted on the wrong side of my DH's Kawi and the pipes left a lovely burn.........

[Wahine]

I have a similar scar in that it is kinda stupid. Mines a perfect cresent shaped scar on the flesh between my thumb and index finger from a mercy fight I had with a girl with long nails. Her nail litteraly dug into the flesh of my hand, DEEP. But there was no way I was giving up.

So I've told my funny stories. Here's my list:

- 2 scars on head, from 2 different injuries, one bike related, one from a game of duck duck goose.
- 3 long skinny scars on torso from bra chafing during a race
- 1 long skinny scar on flank from cat
- 1 oblong scar on flank from chicken pox
- multiple elbow scars from road rash and fry basket burn when I was a teen working at MacD's. That one's kinda cool because it's basket weaved.
- One very large scar on wrist/forearm from carwash incident (see above)
- 1 pin point tatt from art class (see above)
- Cresent scar left hand (see above)
- 6 or 7 knuckle scars from my climbing days
- Scar on the tip of my outie belly button from chafing while running
- Huge scar on my azz (see above)
- Multitude of tiny to medium scars on my legs from knees down from either bike crashes, platform pedal wounds, fin wounds (surfing or windsurfing) and one nasty one from cutting my knee open on lava rock while body surfing. Oh... and that nasty coral incident that took a layer off the top of my foot.

I'm lucky, my scars fade away until they are almost not noticeable. Except the one on my butt and the burn from MacD's. Unfortunately the burn has faded enough that you can only easily see the worst part of it now and you can barely see the basket weave.

I have not surgery scars *knocks on wood*, tatts or brandings.

[silver]

a multitude of much smaller scars up my arms from soldering, dropping things in pickle, injuries, etc (I'm serious, I do not look good under blacklight as far as my arms are concerned)

What kind of metal work do you do? I'm a silversmith.

This reminded me, I do have silver embedded in my left middle finger in a spot that I stupidly and repeatedly saw the same place open again and again.

What's this about the black light?