Body modifications have been around for a very long time. were found on a frozen mummy dating back to . In many countries, these modifications have cultural significance, yet they have also been introduced in western culture as a form of self-expression. But sometimes, we can get carried away. Â
Body modifications have extended to , , and much more. These procedures are very dangerous, but often the people performing them have some idea of what they’re doing. But for the newest trendy body mod, this isn’t always the case. Â
Speaking from experience, tattoos are unpleasant. While I am always happy with the result, I can’t help but wish for a faster process. This is what offer. I have seen this trend all over my social media. A branding iron, with a fun shape or number is dipped into a vessel of and then firmly pressed into the skin of the customer. I winced at the first few videos after seeing the deep white crater it leaves behind. I overlooked this trend initially, but when I saw younger teens offering “50$ for fast tattoos” I started my research, hoping to dissuade those who were curious from trying it. Â
These types of tattoos are a form of freeze branding or cryo branding, a technique first developed in . Previously branding animals for identification was done with a hot iron, yet cryo-branding caused . This technique hardly phases cattle, but this is because their skin is around thick. Human skin on the other hand is around , despite this we still seem to want to follow the herd. Â
If you have ever played with dry ice before, you know that you are not supposed to touch it with . If you were rebellious like me, you would hold a piece in your hand when your lab supervisor looked away and watched what it did. If you squeezed the piece tightly, your hand turned white and would start to sting. Cryo-branding is like having a bed of dry ice and laying down on it, shirtless. As the super cooled iron is pressed into the skin, it starts to , causing them to explode, thus killing the cell. The dead cell is , the product that gives your skin its colour, leaving behind a white mark, in the shape of the branding iron. It doesn’t take a scientist to guess that killing your skin cells is never a good thing. Melanocytes are in charge of one of the body’s . When exposed to UV rays, these cells will and pass it around to those close to them. This why our skin tans in the sun. Melanin , essentially , which then . People with lower levels of melanin have a of getting skin cancer, so best  skip the cryo-branding, for the sake of your melanocytes. Â
Maybe you're thinking why not just get this tattoo in a place that is not exposed to the sun? Hold that thought. Liquid nitrogen boils at -. It takes for contact with liquid nitrogen to cause second, third and even fourth degree burns. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t trust anyone’s reaction time with that iron. These deep burns can cause . Still want to get one where the sun don't shine? Â
After experiencing a liquid nitrogen burn firsthand, I can officially confirm it hurts more than a real tattoo and comes with no aesthetic payoff. During an experiment a few drops rolled down my arm and froze the onto hair elastic I forgot I was wearing. I removed the band immediately but the familiar “white crater” I spent my time researching had already formed. Within minutes the white mark bubbled up, as burns usually do, and stung terribly. 3 weeks later, the scar is still there, reminding me how powerful liquid nitrogen really is and, I’ll admit, making for a good story. Even though it’s pretty cool to say I got tattooed using chemistry, I think I’ll be sticking to needle guns. Â
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Angelina Lapalme is a BSc student majoring in Bio-Organic Chemistry at 51łÔąĎÍř.
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