Dermatographia as Body Art.

Ariana suffers from dermatographia, a skin disorder that affects up to 5% of the population. But instead of hiding her skin disorder, which is what most people do, she has found a most unique way of dealing with it. She ‘paints’ with her dermatographia.



Dermatographia (’writing on the skin’) causes any scratched or rubbed skin to become reddened and raised. It looks and feels a lot like hives. And just like hives, the redness, itchiness, and swelling disappears, usually within 30 minutes.



Instead of wishing these raised and reddened areas away, Ariana activitly encourages them with the blunt end of a knitting needle. Her skin as a canvas, she creates interesting designs and patterns.

Ariana, who has a MFA in Photography from the University of Washington, then photographs these artistic creations before they disappear. Some photographs become prints, others are enlarged and become wallpaper.



Talk about utilizing your resources and minimizing your outlay. There is no money spent on paint and the canvas is reusable. It’s ingenious, creative, and apparently selling well. In fact, some of her art has sold for nearly $4,500.

Weird Body Art

Body art has become so popular in the past few years that it's hard to walk down the street,go to the mall, or watch TV without seeing someone with a piercing or a tattoo. Whether it's ears, lips, nostrils, eyebrows, belly buttons, tongues, or even cheeks, you've probably seenpiercings - maybe multiple piercings - on lots of people. Perhaps you think body piercings look cool and you've thought about getting one. But are they safe? Are they a good idea? And what should you be aware of if you do decide to get one?











Body piercing is the practice of puncturing or cutting a part of the human body, creating an opening in which jewelry may be worn. Body piercing is a form of body modification. The word piercing can refer to the act or practice of body piercing, or to an opening in the body created by this act or practice. The cultural norms reflected in body piercing are various. They may include religion, spirituality, fashion, eroticism, conformism, or subcultural identification.

A tattoo, or dermal pigmentation, is a mark made by inserting pigment into the skin for decorative or other reasons. Tattoos on humans are a type of decorative body modification, while tattoos on animals are most commonly used for identification or branding. Tattooing has been practiced worldwide. The Ainu, the indigenous people of Japan, wore facial tattoos, as do some Maori of New Zealand to this day. Tattooing was widespread among Polynesian peoples, and among certain tribal groups in the Philippines, Borneo, Mentawai Islands, Africa, North America, South America, Mesoamerica, Europe, Japan, Cambodia, New Zealand and China. Despite some taboos surrounding tattooing, the art continues to be popular all over the world.