Firefly tattoo implantation and update

I implanted a Firefly Tattoo in the back of my left hand at the beginning of February. Now, five months later, it has healed up very nicely and I absolutely love it. This is a description of the implantation, healing process, and aftermath. 
Here is a video of the implantation: 

I implanted it with the help of two friends, one to tent the skin with a pair of pliers, and another to hold the camera. It hurt quite a bit less than I expected, and I didn't find it necessary to numb the area beforehand. The procedure left a very large bruise on the back of my hand, which faded over the course of a week or two, but with the help of bandaids and antiseptic it was very easy to keep the site clean, and it did not get infected. 
When I implanted it, I was not able to get it into the position that I had originally intended it to be in, so as it was healing I tried to move it to where I wanted it. Eventually it settled just behind my knuckles, between the first and second metacarpals. I can move it back and forth about 1.5 cm, and I've gotten into the habit of sliding it around to keep my hands occupied. When it's pushed all the way back, near the middle of my hand, it's very visible as a bump in my hand, and slightly uncomfortable as I can feel my tendon going back and forth underneath it when I move my hand. When it's in its natural resting place near my knuckles, it's only visible if you know what to look for, and I can't feel it at all. In the dark it can be clearly seen across a room, but isn't bright enough to illuminate words on a page. I've hit it a few times by accident on corners and doors, but the implant has held up very well. If I tap on it, it makes a slight rattling/clicking noise as the inner capsule moves around within the outer capsule. Mostly, people don't notice it unless I tell them about it, even in the dark. 
Here are a few images of the implant:

Just after implantation
A few days in, partially healed
Now, fully healed. (Note: it usually sits farther forward than this; I pushed it back to make it more visible.)

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Comments

  • i liek !
  • FireBreathingReptile Yay! I'm so glad you're happy with your Firefly. The Firefly v1 has been a huge success, but I still feel it's not perfect. As you said "Mostly, people don't notice it unless I tell them about it, even in the dark.", and while that's ideal for some situations, I personally want something that sounds out a bit more. I'm really hopeful v2 does that, ideally I want to go to a nightclub and have people stare xD 
  • @AlexSmith, I'm looking forward to getting the V2 as soon as it comes out. I'll probably ask a piercer or body mod specialist to implant that one for me, as I intend to put it below my collarbone, which would be difficult to do on my own.
  • I just removed this implant. The positioning was starting to get annoying as the implant would move when I put my hand into a tight pocket, and I worried about hitting it on something. The implant was in for a year and 9 months, and I enjoyed it more than I didn't. If I get another implant in my hand, it'll likely be a magnet or flexNT, something with a lower risk of breaking.
    To remove it, I used a sterile scalpel and made a small incision near the end of the implant. I used my fingers and a pair of tweezers to remove the firefly, then applied some antibacterial cream and put a bandaid over the incision. There was minimal pain, and I don't expect it to take very long to heal back over. All in all, I'm happy that I got the firefly, and I'm happy that I removed it; I look forward to having use of my hand without worrying about breakages.

  • edited October 2018

    Ahoy! UPDATE!!

    Things have been going well. It's been in my face this whole time, with no issues, and producing a clearly visible light at night. It is not bright enough to be picked up by my cell phone camera, ever, but is still very visible at night. Happy with it. ^^

    Sorry, forgot the question though; have you ever gotten pictures of yours at night?

  • First time I hear about this!

  • @Zerbula I've gotten a picture of mine at night with my cellphone camera (android) by switching to "pro" settings and taking a long exposure. It's really difficult to hold the camera steady, but the implant does show up brightly.

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