Transdermal Implants

For anyone that doesn't know, the summer of 2005 I had two transdermal implants added to my list of body modifications. Here's a picture of me right after the procedure was done.



The implants are a flat base which lays under the skin, and a piece of whatever size sticks out through the skin. If you're lucky the skin with heal, and scar tissue will form a pocket around the base of the implant. Here is the BMEZINE wiki for transdermals if you want to know more. At the time mine were done, it was still a fairly new thing in the modification world and I'm pretty sure I was at the beginning of when artists started to go public about offering them. I knew this was an advanced technique, but no one in the community had any idea how dangerous the implants could be (see this entry on modblog blood warning!). I went to an excellent artist in Seattle (he has now moved on to other locations that are unknown to me) who treated me with the utmost care and did a fantastic job. It was expensive, painful, and really hard to heal, but I've kept the implants all this time.

Times have changed though, and I think it's time for the implants to come out. I really enjoy their look, but certain things are more trouble then they're worth. One of the ways I've managed to be so successful at keeping the implants in, is constant care and babying. Nothing but clothing gets within an inch of the site, and I've trained myself, and anyone who would touch that area to stay far far away. Even with all the precautions there are moments where they go back to being less healed, and I have knocked them before with bloody results. I'm not into DIY, so I'm going to get a referral to a reconstructive surgeon from my doctor some time this year. I'm hoping it wont be too expensive and I also hope they'll be able to keep the jewelry intact so i can make a necklace out of the implants.

I'm excited for this new phase in my life, and when it's all done with, I might get a memorial tattoo.