Fully Sick

Scarification—cutting or branding marks into the skin—is becoming an increasingly widespread type of body modification throughout the U.S., Europe, and Australia.

This is a freshly carved scar tattoo.

This is the skin that came off to create it.

Scarification is done either by cutting repeatedly with a scalpel, using a cauterizing tool, or by "strike branding," which is much like cattle branding.

After cleaning the area and stenciling on the design, the artist begins cutting or burning the skin until reaching the right depth and width. "It can take 15 minutes, but I've also done pieces that took eight hours over two days," said Ryan Ouellette, a body-modification artist who owns Precision Body Arts in Nashua, New Hampshire.