Scarification is the art of creating a scar on the skin in the shape of a symbol, picture or word as permanent body modification. Scarification can be made by either cutting or branding the skin, and when done well it can have stunning results. The Piercing Urge is one of only a small number of studios in Australia that offers professional, clean and safe scarification as a service. You can view our scarification artist, Pete’s portfolio here and if you are interested in getting some scarification done, you are more than welcome to contact us for bookings or any enquiries.
Cutting
Is the most common form of scarification we do as it lends itself do more detail than branding. If you check out our gallery, you will see many cutting pieces that took on average 1-2 hours. Most people liken the sensation of scarification to the feeling of tattooing.
Flesh Removal
When larger areas on the skin are removed, this is the case with very large or solid areas are desired. With many designs, there is a mixture of line cutting and removal to create an overall effect.
Strike Branding
Similar to the process used to brand livestock; a piece of metal is heated and pressed onto the skin for the brand. As a form of body art, strike branding is less preferable to other types because it is not precise and tends to spread greatly on healing, and is not advisable for curved areas of the body. More successful is the multi-strike brand, done piece by piece rather than all at once. For example, to get a V-shaped brand, two lines would be burned separately by a straight piece of metal, rather than by a V-shaped piece of metal.
Cautery Branding
This is a form of branding that uses a thermal cautery tool with a heated wire tip to cause the burns. We also offer cautery branding at The Piercing Urge.
View Our Scarification Portfolio
Pete Sheringham is our professional scarification artist at The Piercing Urge. Pete has been at The Piercing Urge since 1992 and is also one of Australia’s longest-serving body piercers.