Dear Dom: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Scar

Dear Mistress Naia: My slave has asked to be branded. I am very touched, but unsure about how to respond - for health, safety, and legal reasons. Do you have any guidance?

First off, I commend you for not rushing into this activity -- as sexy, adorable, touching, and sexy (again) it is that your slave has asked this of you. Without sounding like a total party-pooper, there really are some serious things you need to think about before going ahead with a branding: 1) permanence, 2) health/safety, 3) who/where, 4) THE PAIN.

As you may already know, I am somewhat of a tattoo and piercing addict. I have 5 tattoos (...and counting,) and something like 12 piercings, from my ears to my labia (...and counting). I have never been branded, nor have I seriously entertained the idea before. (Though maybe now I’ll have to try it and write another column!)

What I do know is this: permanent body modification should not be taken lightly. I have read that brandings, like tattoos, are removable by laser. However, the laser removal itself supposedly leaves a scar of its own. In my book, that means it is permanent. So none of this back-of-your-mind, "If it doesn’t work out, I can just get it removed," stuff. Just stop that.

It is one thing for a slave to find being marked by their Dom appealing, and quite another for them to truly want to change their body forever. Often, the two can be a great combo - making the body more attractive as well as symbolizing a wonderful commitment between slave and Dom. (Body modification has long been seen as a way to mark an occasion, rite of passage, etc - both in and out of the BDSM community.) But if your slave has not been interested in body modification outside of the scene, I would strongly recommend finding out if it will truly be ok for them to change their body permanently. Excuse me for saying so, but your relationship may not be forever -- a branding will be.

Once the brand-ee is totally comfortable with the longevity factor, you can move on to issue #2. To be honest, I don’t feel there’s a whole lot to worry about here. You should research the health and aesthetic issues, of course - which mainly include the possibility of infection and un-even scarring. But assuming your slave goes to someone who knows what they are doing and then follows the strict aftercare instructions, they should be fine.

Next: spend time on research and find a *fantastic* professional to perform the branding. I would not recommend doing it on your own. If you really want to pursue doing it yourself, please find an experienced mentor!

I’ve done a bit of searching on the web, and have not come up with THE definitive source for branding professionals. However, about.com: body modification is a good place to start. They list interesting info as well as some possible leads on "body shops" that could help you.

My guess is that many body mod shops do not advertise branding services, though may perform them if asked nicely. I highly recommend calling some places, getting to know the particular professional, and choosing someone that you really like and trust. (Getting personal recommendations would be the best. Try the google.com bulletin boards, or posting something here in the forums.)

As for the last concern - THE PAIN - I actually read that it wasn’t so bad. The extreme heat of the branding implement (white hot) should quickly kill anything that "has the nerve" to give you any pain. I think the adrenaline rush would be something to focus on. Not the pain.

"Is this good or bad news?" I ask myself, preferring both if at all possible. I suppose that remains to be discovered... (Write and let me know!)

Be good.

-Naia

Dear BaadMaster: My slave has asked to be branded. I am very touched, but unsure about how to respond - for health, safety, and legal reasons. Do you have any guidance?

Marks of ownership can be the most bonding of all D/s experiences. Permanent marking of a slave or submissive by their Master/Mistress/Dom/Domme/Owner (did I cover every possibility?) can be the defining emblem of a D/s union. But the key word here is "permanent." I have previously cited the following ad in a BDSMU article I have written (Ownership), but it is worth repeating.

Are you a Dominant male legally named Darren? Beautiful female TPE slave, 31, tattooed "Property of Darren" and now released, ISO Master with same name. If interested...

Although this might have been a put-on (and a funny one at that), it serves to point out what Mistress Naia has observed - relationships might not be forever, but permanent markings are. And branding is the most permanent of marks. So the question here is at what point in your relationship do you get marked? I would say sometime after being collared. See if collared life - with its added commitments from both Dom and sub - works for the two of you. If it does, the next step could very well be a permanent mark of ownership.

Mistress Naia suggests you find a fantastic professional and who can argue with this advice? But how can you evaluate whether your branding professional is "fantastic?" Here is some branding information that will help you in making that decision.

The finest branding professionals do not just heat up an iron and brand away. After all, we are not cows! Most experienced branding pros work with 316L stainless steel sheet metal and shape it into different parts of the brand. Branding artists build their designs using sequential "strikes" of these thin metal pieces to make the complete brand. Heated by a propane torch, the temperature is critical. Too hot, you can injure muscle tissue or ruin the brand with too much scarification.

Too little heat, the brand will look weak. And all the strikes must be applied with equal pressure and identical heat or an uneven brand will result.

Ask the prospective brander questions based on the above information. If he is unsure of the answers, or if he does not have a book with pictures of his work, then NEXT! You cannot take a chance. Old BDSM saying - "There is nothing worse than a f*cked up brand."

There is one emerging alternative to the classic branding technique I have described. It is called "laser branding." Technology marches on. Although technically not a laser, an electrical cauterizing tool is used to create the branding effect. It heals almost instantly and can make patterns with a bit more "flow" than the multiple strike method. It is a new technique and not readily available. But it is worth looking into. "BaadMaster predicts" (a new column, perhaps?) -- actual lasers for branding will be used within two years.

But regardless of how you are branded (even using the often-uneven one-strike branding iron approach), neither Mistress Naia nor I can ever over-emphasize how demanding branding is. It entails extreme pain - both during the actual branding and all through the healing process. It demands the highest level of trust -- the submissive must have total trust in the Dom’s branding skill or judgment in choosing a branding professional. And it demands commitment - a brand is for life; laser removal of a brand, as opposed to a tattoo, is an iffy proposition at best.

Play safe, play hard and in the case of branding, play smart.

BaadMaster