Change Your Appearance Temporarily and Permanently

This is a collaborative post by Ellie Jo about the different ways you can permanently and temporarily change your appearance.

People have been changing the way that their body’s look for a very long time. Ancient civilizations mastered the art of tattooing, piercing, and finding other ways to make their bodies look different a long time ago. Of course, though, the way that people meld their appearance has almost always been driven by both tradition and fashion. The digital age has blown these restrictions out of the water, and people have more ways than ever before to make their bodies look the way they want.

With so many options available to you, it can be hard to pick exactly how you’d like to change your body. To help you out with this, this post is going to be exploring a range of different body modifications, from temporary changes to permanent work which will last forever. This should give you some inspiration, while also making it a little bit easier to choose the sort of mods you’d like to have for your body. The sky’s the limit, and you can choose just about anything to make yourself look unique, nowadays.

source: https://unsplash.com/photos/AgYOuy8kA7M

Change You Hair Color & Style

Hair has long played an important role in both society and fashion, with the way that people style their mops often reflecting the times. Nowadays, there is no right or wrong when it comes to hairstyles, and you can pick from a huge range of excellent cuts to get started on your body modifications. A good salon artist will be able to recommend styles that will match your hair type and head shape, but you can also use websites like Instagram to get some inspiration when you’re choosing the hairstyle you want.

Coloring your hair is a little trickier than having it cut, though you have just as many options to choose from when you go down this route. Bleaching and single-colored dyes won’t cost too much to have done and can have a dramatic impact on the way that you look. Alongside this, though, you could also consider the idea of having more than one color in your hair. Loads of people are choosing this sort of method to change their appearance, but it doesn’t come without some issues.

Dying and bleaching your hair can cause damage to it, and applying too much heat to the stuff on your head will also have a negative long-term impact on it. This makes it well worth being careful when you’re changing the way that your hair looks. Salons know best, and those which use organic products will have the best chance of leaving your hair without any damage. It’s always worth doing some research before you put strong chemicals in your hair.

If you have thin or thinning hair, you may also want to consider hair transplants. You’d be amazed at the hair restoration result photos from different women who have tried this.

Change Your Appearance With Piercings

A lot of people view piercings as a relatively modern body mod, though people have been finding ways to pierce their bodies for a very long time. In the past, this would be done with an array of materials, and the types of piercings people wore would change from place to place. Nowadays, you have the option to pierce loads of different parts of your body, and you can find some examples of the different options you have for this below.

• Ears: Ear piercings are the most common in the modern world, and a lot of people wear earrings in their daily life. You can have your lobes pierced, along with the rest of the space your ears present, and this is a fairly painless approach to take. It’s always worth seeing a professional to have your ears pierced.

• Face: Facial piercings are also very popular. Some people choose to have their lips pierced, while others pick their nose, and some will even have their eyebrows pierced. These sorts of piercings are less common than ear piercings but can look just as tasteful. A nose piercing shouldn’t be much more painful than one in the ear.

• Torso: Belly buttons and nipples presents excellent anchor points for rings and studs, making them popular choices for piercings on the torso. Some people will also get their backs pierced, with corset piercings being very popular in some circles. These are less likely to be seen than other piercings.

• Other Piercings: You can get other parts of your body pierced, and some people choose to go for very uncomfortable-looking options. Of course, it’s good to consider stretching, too, as this can look great, and usually starts with a standard piercing.

Piercings are only risky if you treat them incorrectly or don’t have them made in a sanitary environment. This makes it crucial that you research both the place you have the piercing done and the care you will have to give it afterward. An infection isn’t the end of the world, but it can be very uncomfortable to live with.

Tattoos

Tattoos have long been coming in and out of popularity, and they’re currently one of the most common body mod options on the market. Getting a tattoo is a big decision, as you will struggle to get rid of something like this without the right help and support. Of course, though, if you think about it for a month or two, it should be nice and easy to make this choice without regretting it in the future.

Research is key when you’re getting a tattoo. To start, it will be a good idea to use sites like Instagram and Pinterest to find examples of the sort of tattoo you’d like to get. There are loads of people posting things like this, making it nice and easy to choose options that will look good on your body. Alongside this, it will also be sensible to look into the aftercare work which you will have to do to ensure that your tattoo heals properly. This can be an uncomfortable process, but using soap and a little bit of moisturizer will make all the difference.

It can take a long time to go from having an idea to getting your tattoo done, but this is for the best. You will need to get in contact with the artist you’d like to use long in advance, giving them a chance to bring your ideas into the real world while giving you plenty of opportunities to make changes. You will be able to change your mind right up until they make the first mark with the tattoo gun, and most studios are very understanding when they find people to be nervous. Of course, though, it won’t take long to feel more comfortable once the process begins.

Getting a tattoo can be dangerous if you go to the wrong place or don’t do enough research. They can easily get infected, and artists without the right skills can easily cause damage if they aren’t careful enough. This makes it crucial that you choose a tattoo studio with artists who have plenty of examples of their work available to you.

Plastic Surgery

Finally, as the last type of body modification to consider, it’s time to think about plastic surgery. It’s becoming increasingly common for people to take this route when they want to change the way they look, and there are loads of options to choose from which will make all the difference. You can find some examples of this below, but it’s also worth doing some research. Choosing to get plastic surgery is a big decision, and you should only ever make it if you think it will make you feel happier.

• Implants/Fat Relocation: People don’t like to diet or exercise, but they want to have a body that makes it look like they do. Implants can be used to make biceps and pecs look larger, while fat relocation can be used to make your bum and legs look fuller, reducing your belly at the same time.

• Facial Work: Changing your nose, the shape of your jaw or any other aspect of your face is possible with modern surgery. This is an extreme measure to take, though, and this is usually reserved for those who have had serious injuries and need help to recover their old face.

• Hair Transplants: Going bald is unfortunate, but a lot of people find themselves going through this when they’re not that old. Hair transplants offer a natural fix for this, providing you with hair that will grow like it used to, all without forcing you to take supplements and treatments which are mostly ineffective.

Plastic surgery comes in loads of different forms, and this is barely scratching the surface of what you have available to you. This kind of work can easily end up being dangerous, making it crucial that you do your research and choose a surgeon with the right experience and qualifications to make you feel comfortable.

With all of this in mind, you should be feeling prepared to take on the confusing world of body modifications. It’s always good to know that you have so much to choose from, but you don’t have to do any of this if you don’t want to. You should only ever make a change like this if it is something you want, especially if the changes you’re thinking about are big ones.

For additional ideas see How To Change Your Appearance: 10 Ideas.