Top 10 Strangest Body Modifications (GRAPHIC)

First to something that really gets under your skin...but not necessarily in a bad way! Subdermal implants are part of a body modification process also known as ‘3D implanting’ or ‘pocketing.’ This procedure requires a substance – usually silicon – to be placed beneath the skin, in order to achieve a three-dimensional, raised effect upon healing. Often used in conjunction with other, more traditional forms of body modification, subdermal implants help make the eye-catching just a little more unusual!

Think tattoos only without the ink, and you have yourself a very basic understanding of scarification! Our next bodymod is the practice of burning, scratching and/or cutting of the skin, in order to achieve clear discoloration in the form of scars. Originally associated with ritualistic traditions, scarification has become increasingly commonplace within the modern world. During a scarification session, the skin is put under intense trauma - usually on more than one occasion. It’s a process not without its potential problems, but it’s an effect that certainly demands attention.

Next is one of the rarest body mods to make today’s countdown. The corset piercing is a series of bilaterally symmetrical surface piercings laced together in corset-fashion. This is a difficult effect for a body artist to achieve and is extremely difficult for a model to maintain. For those reasons, it’s usually created as a temporary modification option, often being worn for no more than twenty-four hours. The risks of infection and piercing migration are very high. But the finished article is entirely unlike anything else out there!

Up until now, our body mods might be covered up by clothing at least some of the time. But at seventh place, we get a little more in your face - or at least in your ear! Ear pointing – which you could also call elfing – has grown in popularity since the turn of the century, possibly and probably coinciding with the fantasy movie boom within mainstream cinema. A quite grisly procedure in which parts of the ear are snipped away in order to stretch other sections, it’s best to consult elf and safety before getting this done! Wah-wah.

Most are familiar with the figurative saying about ‘the eyes being a window to your soul,’ right? Well with this bodymod, ‘the chin is a window to your teeth’! That is the literal effect of a chin gauge! We’ve seen stretched earlobes in ancient traditions, tribal contexts and even in mainstream circles, but this is a next-step change. Best make sure you floss before embarking on this body mod, because your pearly whites are in plain sight – at all times! Nose stretching is also a ‘thing,’ giving an inside view of one’s nostrils, and turning a sneeze into a serious problem!

Another relatively recent body mod phenomenon, tongue splitting has also seen a rise in popularity during the twenty-first century. Tongue lengthening is another alt-fashion option for the inside of your mouth, but our fifth place is all about the fork! An anatomical rethink achieved in a variety of ways, one can either scalpel the tongue straight down the middle, pierce first then scalpel later (which is recommended), or embark on a ‘rite of passage’ style journey over weeks and months, in which the tongue is gradually cut, healed, and then cut again... The cheerful choice is yours!

A lot of today’s stranger forms of body modification carry an immense ‘shock factor’ - and perhaps none more so than our next example! A rare and rather un-recommended piercing, it involves a bar being skewered through one’s leg, navigating the gap between the Achilles tendon and the bones of the ankle. Aside from the pain that must be involved, there are also considerable health risks – like the possibilities for immobility and crippling of the lower leg. With the diminished ankle support, it’s literally enough to make your knees buckle!

Sometimes body modification is so extreme its strangeness is as plain as the nose on your face - or in this case, as the donut-shaped swelling on your forehead! Our bizarre bronze medal-er may look to most like an unfortunate facial disfigurement, but to some it’s a sought after effect. A temporary look achieved by administering saline injections into appropriate areas of the face, ‘bagel head’ was pioneered in Canada and is now heavily associated with the Japanese underground scene. Think of this next time you’re in the bakery – or, on second thought, maybe don’t.

If there’s one area of the human body into which the very vast majority would not want a needle inserted, it’s the eyeball. And yet that’s exactly where we’re headed next, as the cosmetic ‘eye tattoo’ increases in popularity. Alongside extraocular implants (otherwise known as eyeball piercings), corneal and scleral tattooing is all about altering the organ of sight, but carries with it the risk of ruining one’s vision entirely. The procedure and potential problems are enough to bring you to tears... inky, artificially stained tears!

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
- Vampire Teeth
- Wolverine Claws
- Magnetic Implants

As we’ve come to see, anything in, on, or around the head is sure to shock, but our winner is especially incredible! An extreme case of subdermal implanting, it doesn’t get stranger than having a set of satanic horns bursting from beneath your hairline. An effect sometimes intensified by using transdermal methods as well, it’s perfect if you like celebrating Halloween every single day of the year. Hell may hath no fury, but Earth hath little explanation for thisbody mod. Lucifer himself would look twice if he saw this on the street!

Do you agree with our list? Which body mod did we miss? For more odd top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.