It used to be that when you got a tattoo, it was permanent. That was one of the reasons (among many) that tattoos used to be something that you saw only on the fringes of society. These days, a tattoo is a fairly mainstream thing. And that's due in no small part to the fact that people whose lives are being negatively affected by their tattoos can now make use of laser tattoo removal to get their tattoos taken off of their bodies.
That's great news for the mainstream society that's interested in tattooing. However, it's not such welcome news to the people living on the fringes of society. Those who use body art as a way to set themselves apart from the mainstream have now found that tattoos are no longer a way to do that. Grandmas and teenagers have tattoos; it's boring.
So people are turning towards body art that is designed to be even more permanent. For example, body carving is becoming increasingly popular among individuals who are set on sharing their individuality with the world. Also known as "skin peeling" or "skinning", this form of body art actually removes the skin and causes a scar in the shape of the desired design. You can learn more about it here.
It's fairly easy to remove a tattoo using the currently available technology. However, it's not nearly so easy to remove an intentional scar. (Although there are plastic surgery options for people interested in erasing this type of choice.) This kind of permanence, along with the shock of the process of skin removal, makes body carving a rather rare art. And that, for many people, is the point.
Question of the Day: Do you think body carving will become a more widespread trend?
