How much fun is cell popping? And is it permanent?

“How much fun is cell popping? And is it permanent?” was written for BDSMforyou.nl by Mistress Moriah.

Cell popping is the less permanent little sister of branding. It is also known as micro-branding or Devil's Fire. With cell popping you stay much more in the epidermis, the top layer of your skin, which makes the creation less permanent. That doesn't mean your design will have disappeared within a few days, though. Certainly not. It will definitely remain visible for weeks, or perhaps even months. Over time, however, it will fade more and more. So be careful about how large you make the design and where you place it.

What do you need for cell popping?

To carry out cell popping properly you need:

A gas torch

A metal urethral sound, a cautery pen or another blunt metal pen (I use a "tea scoop" with a wooden handle for this)

A skin-safe marker (to draw the design beforehand)

A bowl of water (for safety) or a fire extinguisher

Medical tape or wound film

What are the risks?

The skin is there for a reason, so if you deliberately damage it there is always a risk of infection. You also need to realise that you are creating real burns in the skin, which (can) lead to semi-permanent or even permanent scarring.

Cell popping is not recommended for people who are prone to keloid scarring. People who use steroids have a higher risk of permanent scars.

How do you get started?

Place the gas torch on a stable surface and within easy reach.

Disinfect the skin where you are going to do the cell popping. Make sure you work as sterile as possible. Avoid parts of the body that move a lot or where clothing can cause irritation.

With cell popping, it is all about the right temperature. That means the tip of your metal pen must be literally red hot before you can use it. So you hold the metal part in the flame of the gas torch long enough for the tip to turn red. Only then can you begin.

Hold the tip just above the skin, or at most touch the skin lightly. So you do not press the pen into the skin. Gently touching the skin is enough to make the cell pop. You can hear it too! And you immediately see a broken little circle appear. Then you move along a little and "pop" the next spot. That way you can make nice, neat lines.

Back into the flames

As soon as the tip of the pen is no longer red, you hold it in the flame of the gas torch again until it glows red once more, and only then do you continue.

Because you don't have to pierce the skin with the pen, it is important that your metal pen does not have a sharp point. I use a small tea scoop myself, and even on that I made the tip a bit blunter with a sharpening stone. After all, you don't need to pierce the skin.

Cell popping example

If you are unsure how to do it, in our webshop you will find a clip in which I perform cell popping on my slave. You can clearly see how the cells pop and how lightly I hold the pen against the skin.

How much fun is cell popping?

It's great fun! And yes, of course it hurts, and my slave was extremely tense the first time she underwent it, but in the end she found it much better than expected. In terms of pain, you could compare it a little to needle play.

I personally enjoy doing it enormously! You can express your creativity in it and you can work very precisely, because the scars you make are very small. In that respect branding is much coarser, so you really have to plan ahead to make sure the scar tissue doesn't run together, which would ruin the design. With cell popping you run this risk less.

Aftercare

Don't forget that cell popping makes a wound in the skin, so there is always a chance of infection. If necessary, you can ask a doctor for a prophylactic antibiotic.

Cell popping involves a small second-degree burn. This means that only the epidermis is broken. The skin is red, wet and painful, and you see small blisters (broken or intact). The redness will go down by itself. It can take up to six weeks before a scar has healed completely. Above all, keep drinking enough water during this period. It can affect the healing process.

Cover the wound with wound film or medical tape.

Don't pick at any scabs, but let them fall off naturally.

Give the wound time to settle before putting clothes back on. That way the wounds get a chance to close "in the open air" for a while.

Medical help

In most cases things will go well, but things can always go wrong. That is why it is important to keep an eye on the wound. Get medical help immediately if:

• pus is discharged from the wound

• red streaks appear from the wound

• swelling develops around the wound

• you get a fever and/or the skin feels warm

• you experience a lot of pain

Mistress Moriah

Source

Text & photo: Mistress Moriah