Branding is a form of body art known as scarification. Scarification is, simply put, making permanent designs in the flesh through the creation of scar tissue. This can be most commonly done by cutting, etching (tattooing without ink), and branding. Each method creates a slightly different effect, but the overall end result is a design made out of scar tissue. For this article we will be focusing on branding.

Branding has had the darkest history of all the different forms of body modification. It was typically used as a mark of ownership on slaves, against the will of the person being branded. Hollywood has helped re-enforce this negative stereotype with such films as A Man Called Horse, and Tim Burton’s Planet Of The Apes. What a lot of people don’t realize is that branding has also had a spiritual history as well. Incense has been used in various ritual and ceremony over the ages by being placed on the skin and allowed to burn until it goes out in the flesh. Sounds painful, but this author can attest to the fact that it is an incredibly unique feeling!!

Today, there are three basic methods being used for body branding, strike, cautery, and moxabustion. Strike is basically heating up strips of stainless steel in a variety of shapes and pressing them into the flesh. Cautery is performed by using a thermal cautery unit similar to what you would see in operating theatres. The unit is basically a pen that heats up to stop bleeding during invasive surgery. For branding applications, the pen is dragged along the skin to create an instant third degree burn in the desired shape. Moxabustion is the incense that was mentioned earlier. Sticks of incense are placed on the skin and allowed to burn down into the flesh until they are extinguished. Good times!!

The ideal temperature that body branding is done at is roughly two thousand degrees Fahrenheit. At this temperature, the nerve endings are seared, leaving a sensation that is typically less painful than getting a tattoo. The nerve endings are not permanently damaged, as they will grow back during healing. Most people that this author has talked to about branding say that it is an addictive feeling and the anticipation is the hardest part of the whole experience.

Branding designs need to be kept to simple line patterns. Scar tissue is something that is slightly unpredictable, which is part of the allure of branding. The same design put on to two different people will look totally unique on each person over time, due to the fact that people heal differently. Scars tend to spread slightly as they heal, so where there was once a pencil thin line, there will be a jiffy marker size line after healing. Typically lines in a branding will at the very least double in width, thus the need to keep it simple! When I am designing a brand for a client, I will do all my drawing of the final product with a thick felt pen, to show what kind of end result can be expected.

After the branding is done, the healing is a lot different than it would be for a tattoo. Branding aftercare consists of irritating the area to slow down the healing process. A brand that heals too quickly will lose the scarring, defeating the purpose of the branding in the first place!! If it is the sensation that get’s you going, then this is the best thing, since the area can be re-branded over and over for all the sensation sluts out there!!! For those who want the brand to stay as a permanent scar, the method of irritation that I recommend to my clients is to soak the brand in hydrogen peroxide until the scabs lift. Peel the scabs off, and repeat the process daily until it heals. Different effects can be achieved by irritating the brand in different ways. Vaseline will seal the brand, not allowing any healing to take place, resulting it thick, ropey keloid scarring, whereas peroxide will still allow the brand to heal, but a lot slower than just leaving it. Everyone scars differently, so the results will vary from person to person, these irritation results or more guidelines than actual rules, like the pirate code (insert Johnny Depp voice here)!