Hi-Tech Tattoo to test Type 1 diabetes

Several pricks into your finger to track your blood sugar level can be little painful but more a hassle. You might sometime wish for a machine which could be attached to your body and immediately detects your glucose level. Chemical engineers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are working on carbon nanotubes that could be injected under the skin to reveal blood glucose levels.
Paul Barone and Prof. Michael Strano are working on a new type of blood glucose monitor that could not only eliminate the need for finger pricks but also offer more accurate readings.

Strano and Barone’s sensing system consists of a “tattoo” that’s designed to detect glucose, the nanotubes are wrapped in a polymer that is sensitive to glucose concentrations. A wearable device roughly the size of a wristwatch shines infrared light through the skin and onto the nanotubes, which fluoresce when in contact with glucose, thus displaying the patient’s glucose level.

The researchers plan to create an “ink” of these nanoparticles suspended in a saline solution that could be injected under the skin like a tattoo. The “tattoo” would last for a specified length of time, probably six months, before needing to be refreshed.

Claims are high and it seems pretty useful for those suffering from type 1 diabetes but is it possible to re-etch a tattoo on the same place where first tattoo is done? Or new skin area will be required, if this happens then one fine day you’ll have to switch back to contemporary blood sugar testing device. I think best is to eat healthy and exercise well to keep yourself away from these tattoos. Be more living and etch some real colorful tattoos 😉

Source: MIT

A Cute Starry Foot Tattoo

Recently, I read that Gwyneth Paltrow has tattooed letter ‘C’ on her hip to show her commitment to hubby Chris Martin. Couldn’t she be little creative to etch something cool and more artistic!

Anyways that’s her choice but not mine. I like tattoos which have some colourful designs, whether these designs are of my kindergarten drawing books.

Well! over here the foot tattoo is inked by Heidi Serth of Art N Body Studio, whose tattoos take me back to my school days and various cute cartoon characters.

Okay let me come back from my childhood wonderland… Guys lemme tell you something about foot tattoos:

• It is painful to get tattoo on your foot especially your ankle.
• Tattoos on feet are less durable because of the greatest amount of physical “abuse”, which cause the tattoos to fade faster.
• Foot tattoos are difficult to maintain.

DIY oral piercing is risky!

(The craze for facial piercing in Himachal Pradesh, India, is increasing day by day but it’s not professional piercing, rather it is DIY piericng. Concerned about this issue I got down to write.) 😕

A low-waist jeans with tight bottoms, baggy pullover, a bandanna for gelled locks and a face with some piercing…this is the appearance of our youth slipping in the shoes of Rap Style, frequently seen freaking out on the Mall Road.

This is mainly not the fashion for under-graduates but it’s our school going children trying their level best to add some funk to their style.

This is the new cult into which our ‘future of nation’ is moving sleathily. Recently, on the occasion of Valentine’s Day many youngsters were seen parading in this fashion.

To be in latest fashion is good but following it blindly is the matter of concern!

The craze for facial piercing is growing day by day but with a heavy heart it is to be mentioned that people are not aware of its side-effects. Any part of our body can be poked but for every piercing special assistance as well as aftercare is required.

Focusing on oral piercing a person may experience regular irritation with oral soft tissues like lips, gums, etc. Piercing can have bacterial stagnation due to poor oral hygiene and may form deformities in soft tissues and teeth.

A young government school student in the town, who has himself pierced labret, said that he poked his labret himself with a sewing needle and for over a month the piercing was very painful with bleeding and pus in it. With the passing of over three months now, however, the piercing has healed but still at times it gets painful with pus in it.

Has he ever thought what is the reason behind this prolonged healing and pus? No! He takes it to be a normal process.

The reason behind this is the unhygienic method of piercing. Returning of pus means existence of bacterial infection as it’s actually a collection of dead skin cells, white blood cells called neutrophils and some bacteria that are still putting up a fight.

However, it do takes about 6-8 weeks for a lip piercing to fully heal but do-it-yourself piercing is hazardous.

The ratio of people going to hospitals for body piercings is very less, therefore, it is recommended to get yourself pierced by a doctor as they have the proper knowledge of human body and can provide proper hygienic conditions that are required for body piercing. DIY piercing can at times be highly risky as you might poke a nerve, which may also lead to health crisis or ones death.

Along with getting yourself poked by a doctor, you need proper aftercare follow-up. As mouth is the gateway to anything we eat, it can sometimes be more prone to infections. The infection can be due to inappropriate method of cleaning. Therefore, rinse 4-5 times a day with non-alcoholic antimicrobial or antibacterial solution, even over rinsing can be harmful. Don’t think that your saliva can be harmful to your piercing as it has some anti-bacterial qualities which help in preventing the infection to some extent. Don’t play with your piercing jewelry during the process of healing and don’t touch it with uncleaned hands.

As per my knowledge there is no law for body art in Indian Constitution like most of the western countries, who have now understood well the consequences of unsafe body piercing or tattooing. If you know about any laws for body in India, please share it with us.

Body Modification: Tongue Splitting

Tongue Splitting is one of the hottest body modification. It is a procedure of cutting the tongue from centre towards the base.

Shown above is a photograph of Alan from Indianpolis, Indiana, US. The image shows the bloody scene after tongue bifurcation or tongue splitting.

The brave guy did it himself and said,

“I had no problems with my split. It was healed within a couple weeks of having it done. I had it cut back further once it was healed, and that time it was also healed very quickly with no complications. There was really no special aftercare that I used for it other than I would for a normal oral piercing… rinse with clean water any time I ate or drank anything, didn’t use harsh mouthwashes, avoided spicy/hot foods for a while, and drank a ton of water, etc.”

Guys don’t think that it’s an easy process after reading Alan’s words because he is a professional in tattoos and body modification field thus knows well the pros and cons of tongue splitting. You need to take special care of few things before going in for tongue bifurcation as it can be at times so risky that you can even die.

Always make sure to take help of an erudite practitioner, instead of trying in a group of friends or by yourself, as you can harm the lingual nerve and anemics can suffer because of uncontrolled loss of blood. It is a very painful and a bloody procedure. Consult your doctor or get it done by him.

For more reading about Tongue Splitting check out below pasted link.
http://www.bmezine.com/tsplitfaq.html

Careful…Tongue piercing can take your Life!

(Photo: Piercinghelp.com)
Yes, it’s true tongue piercing can at times be so dangerous to lead to you to your death-bed as it happened to Kate Donovan, 20, who died at a Boston hospital on Monday. She died of viral meningitis after getting an infection from a tongue piercing. (Source)

She developed an infection in the pierced tongue and even antibiotics did’nt seem to help, thus leading to severe headaches. She was hospitalized but unfortunately lost her life.

Tongue piercing is a very common trend and apart from being a fashion statement it provides more pleasurable oral sex. The piercing increase sexual stimulation, during fondling females tend to get the most benefits with a tongue ring as the ball of the ring can directly stimulate the clitoris and in males the ball acts as a massage for the movable skin on the shaft of their genital.

There are many types of the tongue piercings like surface tongue piercing, tongue web piercing done through the webbing under the tongue and tongue rim piercing which is on the outer edge of the tongue.

(Photo)
In some cases it is not that risky and gets healed in about a month with proper aftercare by rinsing the tongue regularly with salt water or mouthwash.

Bacterial infections and meningitis can be a complication from tongue piercing however, meningitis is not contagious. Meningitis is an infection of the tissue that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. It’s prominent symptoms may appear suddenly and include fever, severe and constant headache, stiff neck or neck pain, nausea and vomiting and rash. It is believed that the bacteria commonly found in the mouth and saliva possibly enter the bloodstream through the hole punched into the tongue thus leading to the firestorm of infection.

In addition to risk of infection, Hepatitis C and tetanus, the Journal of the American Association finds that tongue piercing can lead to trigeminal neuralgia, also known as the “suicide disease,” which results in facial pain resembling electrical shocks.

Here, I’m not scaring you from getting your tongue pierced but a serious recommendation – visit a professional and experienced person for it!