Seeking creative input to reclaim skin frm urticaria pigmentosa
December 8, 2015 1:33 PM Subscribe
My best friend has a skin condition that presents in a distribution of dark spots scattered across his skin. He needs to reclaim his skin & overwrite this condition. I am reaching out for help to understand the full range of body art options available (focus is currently on tattoos) so we can work through a range of creative inputs.
The problem:
Urticaria pigmentosum is a skin condition that results in a distribution of dark spots scattered across his skin. There is no medical solution to roll back the spots and as this has developed, it has negatively impacted his self perception.
The solution is to completely marginalise this condition & turn this into a positive with some absolutely killer body art. This process seems to naturally lead to tattoo design, however I don't want to limit potential options if there is other body art that can be explored & ideas to be built on.
Below are pictures of his torso which should be a consideration for potential design & distribution of art:
http://i63.tinypic.com/ajqglj.jpg
http://i66.tinypic.com/2itqvyt.jpg
I would be very grateful for the input of creative individuals who can look at this with a fresh set of eyes & provide ideas that can be explored.
Also, very happy for input on tattoo design, suggestions, themes, artwork & techniques that can be used to completely marginalise the spots. Also open to exploring broader communities & concepts.
Please don't hold back if you feel your idea is dumb as we are reaching out for input from as many creative individuals as possible. Your offbeat idea might be a key ingredient.
This is a rare and unique problem so consequently, I am reaching out to the green collective to help us form a rare, unique & creative solution that completely dwarfs it.
The problem:
Urticaria pigmentosum is a skin condition that results in a distribution of dark spots scattered across his skin. There is no medical solution to roll back the spots and as this has developed, it has negatively impacted his self perception.
The solution is to completely marginalise this condition & turn this into a positive with some absolutely killer body art. This process seems to naturally lead to tattoo design, however I don't want to limit potential options if there is other body art that can be explored & ideas to be built on.
Below are pictures of his torso which should be a consideration for potential design & distribution of art:
http://i63.tinypic.com/ajqglj.jpg
http://i66.tinypic.com/2itqvyt.jpg
I would be very grateful for the input of creative individuals who can look at this with a fresh set of eyes & provide ideas that can be explored.
Also, very happy for input on tattoo design, suggestions, themes, artwork & techniques that can be used to completely marginalise the spots. Also open to exploring broader communities & concepts.
Please don't hold back if you feel your idea is dumb as we are reaching out for input from as many creative individuals as possible. Your offbeat idea might be a key ingredient.
This is a rare and unique problem so consequently, I am reaching out to the green collective to help us form a rare, unique & creative solution that completely dwarfs it.
Does he want to completely obscure the spots or would he be comfortable embracing them? Adding spots of different colors could be cool, like he just rolled around in confetti. I personally would find that hilarious and awesome (but I'm also planning to get a zipper pull tattooed on the scar I'll have if/when I get a surgery on my neck, so I'm inclined to embrace these things with humor, YMMV).
Could you relink? I tried opening the pics but just got some panda game spam thing?
The links work, tinypic is just terrible and spammy and sometimes redirect the first time you open the site during a session. Close the window and try the link again.
posted by phunniemee at 2:04 PM on December 8, 2015 [2 favorites]
Could you relink? I tried opening the pics but just got some panda game spam thing?
The links work, tinypic is just terrible and spammy and sometimes redirect the first time you open the site during a session. Close the window and try the link again.
posted by phunniemee at 2:04 PM on December 8, 2015 [2 favorites]
I'm a part of several birthmark groups, and none of the people who've tried turning their marks into art have been at all satisfied with the results of tattooing. Most of us have port wine stains (which are a blood vessel thing rather than pigmentation) but the real problem was that the appearance of the marks varies, particularly in terms of color; if your friend tries to use something (like henna) that won't fade right away he may find that his spots also look different at different times. It's easy to miss this in daily life; people often freak out when their kid is three or four years old and they realize the mark changes color and we have to tell them that it happens all the time and they've just never noticed before.
Also, there are many of us with "disfiguring" conditions out there. Many people hide their marks with makeup and such, but it's not the only path to feeling good about yourself by any means. In my personal experience, having an extremely noticeable mark (about one quarter of my face) isn't nearly as problematic as people seem to think it would be. In our groups, the parents are the ones who are emotional wrecks over the issue: most of my "birthmark buddies" are in the position of reassuring them.
posted by SMPA at 2:08 PM on December 8, 2015 [1 favorite]
Also, there are many of us with "disfiguring" conditions out there. Many people hide their marks with makeup and such, but it's not the only path to feeling good about yourself by any means. In my personal experience, having an extremely noticeable mark (about one quarter of my face) isn't nearly as problematic as people seem to think it would be. In our groups, the parents are the ones who are emotional wrecks over the issue: most of my "birthmark buddies" are in the position of reassuring them.
posted by SMPA at 2:08 PM on December 8, 2015 [1 favorite]
Oh, and if you want makeup info I have lots of links. You can get samples of the more medically-minded stuff from most cosmetic-oriented dermatologists, but they sell DermaBlend at Macy's.
posted by SMPA at 2:13 PM on December 8, 2015
posted by SMPA at 2:13 PM on December 8, 2015
I can't see the second image, but I could see the first, and it reminds me of bubbles rising underwater. I could see an underwater scene being cool (and possibly evoking the soothing properties of water).
I would suggest that he consult with a dermatologist, though, before embarking on this project, because urticaria like that is exacerbated by skin irritation—he could end up with even more spots and/or issues with the tattoos if that sort of skin disturbance and/or the ink causes more itching. I love the idea, but I've dealt with urticaria (including some spots like this, though not nearly as many) for a few years now, and I'm extremely cautious about what I use on or do to my skin now as a result. It would be terrible if your friend tried this and had a reaction to the ink, the metal of the tattoo gun, or the friction or skin disturbances involved. If the dermatologist does approve, I would also suggest doing a trial run with just one tiny spot first, sort of a patch test.
posted by limeonaire at 2:13 PM on December 8, 2015 [7 favorites]
I would suggest that he consult with a dermatologist, though, before embarking on this project, because urticaria like that is exacerbated by skin irritation—he could end up with even more spots and/or issues with the tattoos if that sort of skin disturbance and/or the ink causes more itching. I love the idea, but I've dealt with urticaria (including some spots like this, though not nearly as many) for a few years now, and I'm extremely cautious about what I use on or do to my skin now as a result. It would be terrible if your friend tried this and had a reaction to the ink, the metal of the tattoo gun, or the friction or skin disturbances involved. If the dermatologist does approve, I would also suggest doing a trial run with just one tiny spot first, sort of a patch test.
posted by limeonaire at 2:13 PM on December 8, 2015 [7 favorites]
Chiara Bautista has beautiful artwork that often features a wolf and stars that could incorporate the spots. Sorry I don't have a link at the moment.
posted by Sassyfras at 2:26 PM on December 8, 2015
posted by Sassyfras at 2:26 PM on December 8, 2015
If it were me, I might want to do a tattoo of a wine glass, with wine splashing from it in drops, all around. Because I like wine and because it would look festive and happy to me, and because it might serve as a kind of visual pun. Maybe something like this or this.
posted by Too-Ticky at 3:25 PM on December 8, 2015
posted by Too-Ticky at 3:25 PM on December 8, 2015
He could get constellations, and the remaining spots could just be extra stars. If there wasn't a spot where a star was needed, it could just be added with ink.
posted by charmcityblues at 3:28 PM on December 8, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by charmcityblues at 3:28 PM on December 8, 2015 [3 favorites]
I would also be wary of reactions to tattooing, as well as just developing more spots as time goes on that might alter the design in an undesirable way. That said, constellations might look great, and I offer: scattered holly leaves or other leaves, and the spots appear as berries.
posted by Iris Gambol at 3:38 PM on December 8, 2015
posted by Iris Gambol at 3:38 PM on December 8, 2015
My first thought was some Japanese style imagery.
posted by geek anachronism at 4:10 PM on December 8, 2015
posted by geek anachronism at 4:10 PM on December 8, 2015
There are many tattoo subreddits that your friend might enjoy browsing; every day there's 25-35 new images posted on /r/tattoos which are annotated with the name/location of the artist/studio. I also like /r/irezumi which isn't very active but includes some lovely examples of coordinated chest/back and full torso pieces with koi, dragons and other Japanese traditional body art.
I raise the irezumi examples because I think your friend needs a design that plans for the probability that his skin will continue to evolve, probably developing more spots. The spots work well with designs that require regular irregularity, if you know what I mean, e.g., the markings on owl feathers or dragon scales, snow or rain falling onto the putative subject of the tattoo, the grain in a wood cut style, the fragments of a star exploding star in outer space, etc. You might want to think about what would look good a la a photo negative--making dark what would usually be light and vice versa-- and using tones--sepia or reddish browns, maybe--that will cause the spots to look like intentional color variations in the tattoo.
It's important that your friend love the subject matter as well as its camouflage effect.
posted by carmicha at 4:17 PM on December 8, 2015
I raise the irezumi examples because I think your friend needs a design that plans for the probability that his skin will continue to evolve, probably developing more spots. The spots work well with designs that require regular irregularity, if you know what I mean, e.g., the markings on owl feathers or dragon scales, snow or rain falling onto the putative subject of the tattoo, the grain in a wood cut style, the fragments of a star exploding star in outer space, etc. You might want to think about what would look good a la a photo negative--making dark what would usually be light and vice versa-- and using tones--sepia or reddish browns, maybe--that will cause the spots to look like intentional color variations in the tattoo.
It's important that your friend love the subject matter as well as its camouflage effect.
posted by carmicha at 4:17 PM on December 8, 2015
If it turns that your friend's skin can handle being tattooed, I think a Japanese-style bodysuit is probably the best way to go - provided he has the budget and the pain tolerance.
My absolute favorite tattoo artist ever, Jason Vaughn, recently moved to LA and is offering half off hourly sessions on back pieces (details, beware you will see a butt if you click that link).
You didn't provide a location, but if he's in LA (and gets tattooing cleared by a doctor), that is the deal of a century. Jason was always booked months and months out at full price here in Chicago - he's just trying to build his repeat business in a new city, so he's offering the discount.
Things people who don't have a ton of tattoos often don't realize about them:
- They really do hurt. Those people who say "once the endorphins kick in I don't feel it" - that's not everyone. Endorphins run out. I would not commit to getting my entire fucking torso tattooed without sitting for at least a 2-3 hour session and seeing how I felt about it.
- They are expensive if you go to a good artist. Getting his entire back and torso tattooed would look dope as hellllllll but also cost several thousand dollars. I would not go to a bad artist for this.
- Good tattoo artists generally include consultation and drawing time gratis and only charge hourly once you're sitting there and the ink is being set out.
They are experts, they are artists, they know how the skin and the body work (and will tell you if something is out of their expertise - a good artist would make sure your friend cleared their plan with their doctor).
I feel like a ton of people spend all this time researching ideas and designs and art when really, you should just take your concept to a dope artist and have them figure it out. It's almost insulting to spend 100 hours google image searching possible tattoos, then to take your print out to someone who is an amazing artist and ask them to just trace it on you.
posted by Juliet Banana at 6:01 PM on December 8, 2015 [2 favorites]
My absolute favorite tattoo artist ever, Jason Vaughn, recently moved to LA and is offering half off hourly sessions on back pieces (details, beware you will see a butt if you click that link).
You didn't provide a location, but if he's in LA (and gets tattooing cleared by a doctor), that is the deal of a century. Jason was always booked months and months out at full price here in Chicago - he's just trying to build his repeat business in a new city, so he's offering the discount.
Things people who don't have a ton of tattoos often don't realize about them:
- They really do hurt. Those people who say "once the endorphins kick in I don't feel it" - that's not everyone. Endorphins run out. I would not commit to getting my entire fucking torso tattooed without sitting for at least a 2-3 hour session and seeing how I felt about it.
- They are expensive if you go to a good artist. Getting his entire back and torso tattooed would look dope as hellllllll but also cost several thousand dollars. I would not go to a bad artist for this.
- Good tattoo artists generally include consultation and drawing time gratis and only charge hourly once you're sitting there and the ink is being set out.
They are experts, they are artists, they know how the skin and the body work (and will tell you if something is out of their expertise - a good artist would make sure your friend cleared their plan with their doctor).
I feel like a ton of people spend all this time researching ideas and designs and art when really, you should just take your concept to a dope artist and have them figure it out. It's almost insulting to spend 100 hours google image searching possible tattoos, then to take your print out to someone who is an amazing artist and ask them to just trace it on you.
posted by Juliet Banana at 6:01 PM on December 8, 2015 [2 favorites]
As CharmCityBlues suggests, a constellation tattoo using some of the spots is one idea. I have quite a few freckles and moles (all over, really, but I hated the ones on my back the most). I got such a tattoo, and now it's one of my favorite features.
I've since added onto the original art with more constellations, but don't have a good photo of it all toegether.
posted by girlalex at 10:38 PM on December 8, 2015 [5 favorites]
I've since added onto the original art with more constellations, but don't have a good photo of it all toegether.
posted by girlalex at 10:38 PM on December 8, 2015 [5 favorites]
I have never forgotten this connect-the-dots giraffe tattoo, but not sure if your friend would like to go that route (maybe filling in some of the lines?).
posted by getawaysticks at 7:01 AM on December 9, 2015
posted by getawaysticks at 7:01 AM on December 9, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by ian1977 at 1:44 PM on December 8, 2015