Types of body modification
[edit] Explicit ornaments
Body piercing - Permanent placement of jewelry through an artificial fistula; sometimes further modified by stretching
Ear piercing - The most common type of body modification
Dermal anchoring Similar to transdermal implants, giving the appearance of a small bead on the skin [2]
Pearling - Also known as genital beading
Neck ring- Multiple Neck rings are worn to stretch the neck.
Scrotal implants [3]
Eyeball tattooing - Injection of a pigment into the cornea.
Extraocular implant (eyeball jewelry) - The implantation of jewelry in the outer layer of the eye.
Surface Piercing - A surface piercing is a piercing where the entrance and exit holes are pierced through the same flat area of skin.
Microdermal implants [4]
Transdermal implant - implantation of an object below the dermis, but which exits the skin at one or more points
[edit] Surgical augmentation
In contrast to the explicit ornaments, the following procedures are primarily not meant to be exposed per se, but rather function to augment another part of the body, like the skin in a subdermal implant.
Breast implants - Insertion of silicone bags filled with silicone gel or saline solution into the breasts to increase their size, or to restore a more normal appearance after surgery
Silicone injection [5]
Subdermal implant - implantation of an object that resides entirely below the dermis, including Horn implants [6]
[edit] Removal or split
Male circumcision - the partial or full removal of the foreskin, sometimes also the frenulum--conversely some men choose to take up foreskin restoration.
Female genital cutting - removal of the labia minora or the clitoral hood
Frenectomy [7]
Genital bisection - splitting of both the underside and the top of the penis, including Genital inversion [8]
Meatotomy - splitting of the underside of the glans penis
Headsplitting - splitting of both the underside and the top of the glans penis
Nipple removal [9]
Nipple splitting [10]
Nullification involves the voluntary removal of body parts. Body parts that are removed by those practicing body nullification are for example Fingers, Penis (penectomy), Testicles (castration), Clitoris, Labia or Nipples. Sometimes people who desire a nullification may be diagnosed with body integrity identity disorder or apotemnophilia.[11]
Subincision - splitting of the underside of the penis, also called urethrotomy
Lingual frenectomy [12]
Tongue splitting - bisection of the tongue similar to a snake's
Trepanation, drilling a hole into the skull [13][14][15]
[edit] Applying long-term force
Body modifications occurring as the end result of long term activities or practices
Corsetry or tightlacing - binding of the waist and shaping of the torso
Cranial binding - modification of the shape of infants' heads, now extremely rare
Breast ironing - Pressing (sometimes with a heated object) the breasts of a pubescent female to prevent their growth.
Foot binding - compression of the feet of girls to modify them for aesthetic reasons
Anal stretching [16]
Non-surgical elongation of organs by prolonged stretching using weights or spacing devices. Some cultural traditions prescribe for or encourage members of one sex (or both) to have one organ stretched till permanent re-dimensioning has occurred, such as:
The 'giraffe-like' stretched necks (sometimes also other organs) of women among the Burmese Kayan tribe, the result of wearing brass coils around them. This compresses the collarbone and upper ribs but is not medically dangerous. It is a myth that removing the rings will cause the neck to 'flop'; Padaung women remove them regularly for cleaning etc.
Stretched lip piercings - achieved by inserting ever larger plates, such as those made of clay used by some Amazonian tribes.
[edit] Others
Branding - controlled burning or cauterizing of tissue to encourage intentional scarring
Ear shaping [17] (which includes Ear cropping [18], Ear pointing or "elfing" [19])
Scarification - cutting or removal of dermis with the intent to encourage intentional scarring or keloiding
Tooth filing [20]
Bodybuilding