The biohack.me forums were originally run on Vanilla and ran from January 2011 to July 2024. They are preserved here as a read-only archive. If you had an account on the forums and are in the archive and wish to have either your posts anonymized or removed entirely, email us and let us know.

While we are no longer running Vanilla, Patreon badges are still being awarded, and shoutout forum posts are being created, because this is done directly in the database via an automated task.

Skin pockets

So, I've hit on a bit of a change of plans.  I can't seem to get good sound quality out of my transducers, so I have a slight variation on my previous idea.  Basically, I still want to run the wire subdermally, but I want a skin pocket I can slide things into.  An induction loop would be on the outside flap, and so I'd just slide the electronics in.  Makes it nice and easy to upgrade/switch out with actual earbuds when I want to.

My question is, how should I go about creating these pockets?  Right now I'm assuming the best way is to use some sort of inflatable implant to slowly stretch the skin behind my ear, before finally folding it over, slicing and stitching it in place.  My main worry is that the stretched skin would die or stretch back out of place, destroying the pocket.  That a valid concern?

As a side note, I've been wondering about whether it is possible to use other materials to bind with the skin.  Specifically I want to make a small inset in my side, line it with some biocompatible material, and have the skin grow into it, anchoring it in place.  Then just cap it off with a flexible something or other and you can stick things in there.  Is this possible, or does it have to be skin covering us?

Comments

Displaying all 6 comments
  1. I like the idea. It seems very practical. I have seen relocation attachments like this:
    http://news.bme.com/2013/01/09/alien-anatomy-earlobe-relocation/

    There is also this method which could possibly be modified into a pouch? 


    It seems like a body modification expert could do this fairly easily. Making sure to keep it cleaned out afterwards seems important. Also, depending on where you did the folding you might get some strange effects. A relative had tissue removed from his face near the jaw. The doctor stretched some neighboring skin to fill the void left behind and sewed it up. Now we all know when he is hungry because his jaw salivates! It just drips spit down his jaw.

    I could maybe see something like that happening with a sweat gland or something. If you perspire into the pocket you made for electronics then that might be bad. 

    I think this is totally doable though.
  2. I think it would be best to get a fully subdermal implant to create the pocket, wait for it to heal and then scalpel an opening. This method works and has been used to create large gauge surface piercings without rejection. The small scalpel wound is easier to heal if the pocket is already formed and healed. I'll find links to back me up tomorrow cause it's 2 am
  3. @DirectorX: Thanks, that's great info!  I could see the bipedicle procedure being adopted for this, though the size would still necessitate a stretching implant.  I wonder how adaptable the skin is compared to the ear, though...

    One promising thing is that the repositioned ear grew together with the rest of the flesh and seems like it isn't starving.  I've been worried about starving my skin by detaching it from the flesh that feeds it.  If I were to peel off a bit of skin stretched on my arm, for example, and used that to form the pocket, would it live, or would it die?

    @Notorious: wouldn't leaving the flesh open on the inside be a recipe for infection, though?  I've been assuming that I would need a double-walled skin pocket.  I.E. there would be three layers of skin in that spot, 2 for the flap and 1 for the head.  Any luck with those links?  Now you got me curious.

    I know that this is a kinda complicated procedure, but if it works...

    Anyone have any thoughts on my other idea?  That could also simplify the pocket.  If there is a material that skin can bind to and not reject, letting flesh and filament bind, then I could just use that to form the pocket, and stitch it into place.  I'd imagine it would need to be something like velcro, probably fairly porous so that there are places to grow through, much like those structures they use to grow bone on.  Anyone know anything about this?
  4. http://news.bme.com/2012/08/05/deep-chest-piercings/

    heres an example of what I meant. if they were scalpelled to that size straight away they would have likely rejected but because the inside was already healed when the ends were scalpelled open the body only had to heal two small wounds either end rather than one long fistula. you could use thin teflon tubing as jewellery once healed and run the wire through there. if placed right and the jewellery is thin enough I dont think it would be too visibly noticable. I assume this procedure would work just as well on any part of the body as long as the placement isn't somewhere that moves too much but it isnt something thats been frequently done
  5. Interesting.  My main concern would be of infection while the piercing is removed.  Is that not an issue?
  6. I wouldn't imagine so as it isn't an open wound, its a healed fistula. thats the point of the fully subdermal beforehand. as long as its clean I think your biggest problem would be it shrinking if left out too long. i've got 30mm stretched ears and I can leave those out a day or two without it starting to shrink, I imagine its the same but longer. just so we're clear this is a surface piercing, it isn't through any muscle only stretched skin. not sure if you know much about stretching and body mod in that sense, if I can be of any help let me know
Displaying all 6 comments