Bagels have been breakfast favorites for a while now, and it is easy to see American enthusiasm for the doughy rings in growing revenues, companies and number of shops. In Japan, however, the number of bagels is not growing so much in sales as it is on heads. In light of this peculiar fad, nicknamed “bagel heads,” various other forms of relatively new extreme body modifications have been brought to attention. These include subdermal implants, jewelry inserted under the skin to create a raised design; tongue bifurcation, a splitting of the tongue that creates a forked end; and extraocular implants, ornaments embedded within the interpalpebral conjunctiva of the eye.
“I think that all of these body modifications are pretty dangerous,” junior Marzia Mariwala said. “People can go to unbelievable extremes, like maybe even burning themselves.”
Scarification is another form of body modification that involves either cutting or burning the skin to create a raised design made out of scar tissue. It has begun to gain popularity in western culture but has been utilized by native tribes for thousands of years to show status, religious beliefs, accomplishments and more. Another extreme form of body alteration instigated by tribal communities is the use of neck rings. As long necks are seen as a desirable trait in women of these tribes, coils of wire are placed around the neck with more being added as the female matures in age. This results in deformation of the shoulder blade, twisting of the collarbone and compressing of the rib cage.
“There is clearly a limit to how drastically people should alter their bodies,” plastic surgeon Ronald Friedman said. “There are increased risks with larger procedures.”
With the older forms of body modifications there is knowledge of the physical repercussions as well as the hazards of undergoing the procedure. With the newer procedures, however, long-term effects are not as clear.
“I feel that the procedures are both too dangerous and too strange-looking,” senior Jenna Itani said. “I think people should be happy with the way they are and should not drastically change their features.”
The bagel head trend itself has been generating questions on whether it is dangerous or not. To create the look, a saline solution is injected in the forehead and causes a swelling. The center is then pushed in, the indent completing the appearance of a bagel. Though it is not permanent, there are risks in undergoing the procedure. There is a chance a blood vessel could be ruptured, causing internal bleeding, or that the saline solution has not been sterilized, which would expose one to infection. Repeatedly giving oneself a bagel head can also result in the skin’s loss of elasticity and a permanently slack forehead.
“With extreme body modifications, just because something can be done does not mean that it should be done,” plastic surgeon Daniel Verret said.
These newer risky and often bizarre-looking body modification trends have many wondering
what new innovations the future will bring.
“The current trend in plastic surgery is toward smaller procedures with smaller risks and smaller downtimes,” Dr. Friedman said. “The biggest procedures will get even bigger. But the small procedures will still dominate most practices.”
Medical developments may also widen the spectrum of possibilities.
“Advances in technology will provide people more things to do,” senior Jonathan Uyemura said.
But exactly what new body alterations there are in store have yet to be thought of and executed.
“If people can think it up, they will give it a try,” Dr. Verret said. “I am surprised on a regular basis what is undertaken.”
