Body modification can be performed on just about any part of the human body. The skin can be pierced, the neck elongated, the teeth filed to points, and the waist reshaped by corsetry; even the eyes can be tattooed or altered. In recent years though, one of the funnest and most popular modification areas has become the fingers.
Finger tattoos are still growing in prevalence, and piercings around the fingers are becoming common too. One of the most exciting and endearing recent trends is a piercing often referred to as the “ring piercing,” because it mimics the look of a wedding or engagement ring. Although this piercing can be performed on any finger so long as the anatomy allows, the left ring finger is definitely the most popular. For many of these mods the term “piercing” is applied loosely, as the item itself is actually a microdermal implant, usually topped with a clear crystal or gem. Actual surface piercings of the digits have been attempted, but with much less success than the cleaner looking dermal.
Tattoos of the fingers are far more varied in size and style, and range from single half inch symbols, to collections of letters on the knuckles that may spell out words, to sets of multiple symbols, letters, and pictures that may or may not relate to eachother. Although tattoos placed on the flat plain just above the base of the finger are most common, other areas such as the “webs” between the knuckles, or the inside edges of the fingers are also inked frequently. Piercings of the same webbed portion of the skin can also be performed, and are normally worn with circular barbells or BCRs.
From our earliest days as infants, we marvel at the complexity of our hands and especially our fingers. The things they can do are astounding and have a profound impact on our lives. Perhaps then it’s entirely fitting that they’ve finally become the newest subject of our intense modification obsession.
