What is dermographia? As you may be able to tell from the word itself- it means skin writing. Pressure on the skin releases histamines, causing red, itchy welts. Because it's caused by pressure I can draw on my skin as the welts will show up in the pattern that I create with the pressure from the pencil. I had a hard time finding someone to do a dermographia shoot with me- perhaps because no one knew what it was (only 1 in 10,000 people have it and no one knows what causes it. And no, there's no cure.) but finally Allen Studios thought it was a good idea. This shoot was my actual real first nude so I want to really thank Mikel Allen for making me feel really comfortable. I'm really excited over these photos and I think they are just the bee's knees!
Dermographia can be irritating- as I already said, it's awfully itchy. That means that anytime I scratch an itch like a normal person the skin welts and gets even itchier! It also means I can't walk barefoot over textured surfaces. In addition to the itch, it can sometimes be painful. Though it comes and goes as far as severity, when it's at it's peak, small touches can be painful. Ever watch a movie with your SO and put your arm around him/her and rub their arm with your fingertips? It's a sweet and affectionate touch that says "I love you". Repeated touches like this are intolerable to me as they become very painful after about a minute. I can sometimes politely tolerate it a little longer- but not much.
The upside to it is that it makes a fantastic party trick and it's just damn cool! I'm posting all 8 photos.. so it'll be a bit long but it was just too awesome to leave any out. Behold:
Beautiful photos, but yes, that does look ITCHY!
ReplyDelete*hugs* I have morphea which is excessive collagen deposition leading to thickening of the skin, underlying tissue or both. My morphea is caused by antinuclear antibodies which attack my cells instead of bacteria or viruses. These pictures you've shared are very healing for me because you took a skin disorder that is a frustration and turned in into something beautiful. Please email me. masery@rocketmail.com I would like to do a blog post at the Staff of Asclepius about skin disorders. Maybe I'll get brave and have my artistic husband take photos of me.
ReplyDeleteI also have dermographia and am plus size so you're pictures are dually inspiring to me! Keep on doing what you're doing...shake this world up!
ReplyDelete*fist bump for April* I've never met anyone else face to face with dermographia. We're unique :D
ReplyDeleteI just found out that I have dermographia...Like this morning just found out. Ugh...this is inspiring to me. You can find beauty in something that has made me feel so very ugly. I hope one day I can accept this like you have...one day.
ReplyDeleteThis is neat, I love fake tattoos and this would work really well for temporary skin decorating. This is so cool i have never seen this before thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteSmooth slide amazing shots Tantalizing very effectively shot Ur Body does all the talking!
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