The books she's written and classes she teaches are the Mind Modifications Deborah is known for. She is also a Body Modification Artist;
she does piercings, ritual scarification
and blood tattooing. She has been piercing
for 10 years, doing scarification for 8 years
and has most recently woven blood tattooing
(also called skin etching) into her repertoire. She sees all forms
of modification as sacred. She now does freelance
modifications because of the belief that
the production line atmosphere of a shop
makes it far more difficult to give her clients
the personal connection she prefers.
Piercing: For three weeks, twice daily, rinse any
crusty material off the piercing with warm
water. Do not roll them into the fresh piercing;
they are abrasive. Using a gentle Castille
soap (I recommend Dr. Bronner's liquid any
flavor except peppermint), wash the piercing
front and back, gently working the soap in
for 45 seconds or so. Rinse all the soap
out with warm water. If you can't find Dr.
Bronner's, a simple saline solution will
do. Avoid antibacterial treatments; they're
unnecessary and may actually cause a slowing
of the healing process. Nor oral contact,
swimming or hot tubs with a fresh piercing
for two weeks.
Oral piercing: rinse your mouth with a 50/50 water/Listerine
(I recommend the blue flavor) mix after consuming
anything other than water. Treat the outside
of the piercing the same as above.
Cutting: For two weeks, keep the cutting clean with
a simple soap like Dr. Bronner's twice daily.
For the first 48 hours, keep it soft with
either Carmex (yes, the stuff you put on
your lips) or a topical anti-infective like
Neosporin. Keep it bandaged for 48 hours.
Paper towel and tape are fine, as long as
the paper towel doesn't shed lint. Gauze
wrap or pads work well also. After the first
48, keep it clean. When it begins to scab,
DO NOT pick the scabs unless you want the
scar to deepen, widen and possibly keloid.
If the scar isn't as deep as you'd like when
the cutting heals, it can be re-cut for depth
and/or width. If it itches as it heals don't
scratch it, but you may slap it lightly to
ease the itching.
Blood Tattoo: Same as a cutting. If the bandaging adheres
to your skin, soak it off with warm water
before cleaning. Some bruising may occur;
that's normal and will fade.
Complications are unlikely with a properly
done modification. However, life isn't safe
and we can't wear a helmet all the time.
With any modification, if you experience
undue redness, swelling, fever or white/yellow/greenish
discharge, seek medical attention. If you
have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate
to contact me as soon as a situation develops
