Branding (body modification)
Branding , English for branding , is a form of Body Modification and a scarification with hot iron, thus creating a permanent scar possible jewelry by hot, glowing metal. It is carried out for symbolic and aesthetic reasons or as an expression of initiation . Another reason can be existing scars, which lose their character, sometimes perceived as annoying, due to the branding.
history
The classic brand comes from animal husbandry. In the past, horses were branded based on breed or ownership. Brand marks were also used for cattle breeding, which then scarred, so that the fur no longer grew back at this point. As a result, the brands remained visible in the long term.
Slaves in ancient times and America and criminals were branded as corporal punishment until the 19th century . Burned-in jewelry scars became fashionable in western culture in the 20th century.
Forms and implementation
When branding on the human body, a distinction is made between two forms. The most common variant is hot firing. An iron is heated and pressed onto the skin. The second variant is the cold fire . Here, too, iron is cooled down in liquid nitrogen to minus 80 ° C and then pressed onto the skin. The desired motif is reshaped into several small pieces of iron or into one large one, after which the corresponding shape is heated to approx. 900 ° C over a gas flame. Gas is used to keep the flame almost free of soot and other debris. In the next step, the shape is pressed onto the skin for a few moments. The iron burns into the top layers of the skin (epidermis and dermis) within a second. The subcutaneous fatty tissue remains unaffected.
Another variant of the implementation are the "cautery pens". These are battery-operated branding irons that look and work like ballpoint pens. The front part of the "Cautery Pen" becomes hot and a pattern can be burned onto the skin with this. However, this procedure is not recommended, as neither the battery nor the device can generate the necessary force to achieve a result that is comparable to conventional branding. The exact implementation can vary.
The pain is described as brief and the burning process releases endorphins that trigger euphoria. This is why this variant of the body modification is also used in the SM scene. Within a SM relationship it can also be the ultimate expression of ownership.
Healing and outcome
Various factors that cannot be influenced are related to the end result. There is no one hundred percent guarantee of how aesthetically satisfactory, how clear, and how long the branding will be visible. Influences can be skin type and healing process. Keloid and hypertrophic scars (fibrous growths) develop when a wound heals. Most branding scars appear as barely noticeable white marks on the skin after they have healed. Some scars remain reddish. So that they remain permanently visible, the original iron should be burned after six months. The wound heals in several phases. Immediately after burning, the area is whitish gray, after a few hours it becomes reddish to dark gray-black. In the first few days, the branding can be seen very clearly. A scab layer then forms, which heals in a few weeks. The scab must remain intact. After three to six weeks a reddish scar can be seen, which gradually fades over the following months.
Motifs
Detailed or filigree structures are not suitable. With iron strips made of steel that are half a millimeter to a millimeter thick, a scar approx. Two to four millimeters wide can be created. Smoothly filed steel nails are used for punctiform brandings. Geometric shapes are best to implement. Acute angles and closed shapes are problematic, as these tend to unclean healing. The finished branding is put together from individual parts (no longer than four centimeters). This shape is called multi-stroke branding and does not require the expensive production of a branding iron, as it is composed of different standard shapes.
Controversy
Branding is in a legal gray area. The bodily harm paragraph comes into play here, which states that consensual bodily harm will not be prosecuted as long as it does not violate common decency.
Critics reject the branding because of the high health risks.
Web links
- Frederike Corts and Michael Ginsburg Bodymodder and the Rush of Pain , Die Welt from January 15, 2014
