Don't give me the finger...

UPDATE: All of the skin divers have ripped out which was surprisingly not painful. I'm left with just the dermal anchor now. It seems to be much more stable than divers, and the customization options are great. Now if only I could use my left pocket without fear...

As you can tell I have a few projects up my sleeve that Ive been working on in various stages. In this round, the pictures got all mixed up so make sure you check [link] for additional info. For now Ill tell you about the ring. Why wear a band around your finger when you can display gems coming from the skin itself? The dangers are apparent. For instance, I no longer use my left pocket to carry anything - because reaching in meant catching something on the fabric, but this brave dive into the possibilities of implants is both happy and sad.
I guess Ill start simply; Today was an annoying day for me. Ive been moving and carrying crates and boxes for weeks and I picked the perfect place to do a piercing project: my ring finger.
It started out with one simple skin diver. One punch, squeezed it in, and in five minutes I had a red gem skin diver in my finger. (Just a side comment, but its rather and odd sensation to be using biopsy punches and forceps on your own finger.)
That gem spurred the addition of two more skin divers, some crzy webbing piercings, and even a dermal anchor implant. At its glory, my ring finger had a center anchor that usually bore a red stone, with three gemstone divers and two 14 gauge studs in my webbing. The three skin divers made a diamond around it,  giving an overall appearance that I really liked. Unfortunately I am moving and bad things happen; a skin diver got caught on a crate and ripped out of its hole. I didn't lose the implant, and Ill spare you the gory parts, but the two sides had to go.
However, I do now have an anchor right at the base of my ring finger. I only have a few things to screw into it right now but Im sure Ill find the perfect topper for it. Id have to say that the anchor implant went well and is healing very nicely, and the placement is great. Thats the main thing gained here. Its pretty apparent to me now...

Skin divers suck. I do still have one diver in my finger, but the other two that I removed never sat right, and never healed right, The bases are too easy to pull out and the slightly pointed end isnt very comfortable against bone.
The anchor is great. Its healing faster than expected; doesnt hurt anymore and has already started to have the holes grown into. The base doesnt freely rotate anymore, it healed into the skin. I cant wait for it to finish, and all the different tops Im going to try on my new ring.
For the pictures, I had already ripped the skin diver out, so I tried to wedge it in for a few quick photos, then I took them out. Overall Ive gotten a positive reaction from the public about it, and I love it. A few photos never does artwork justice, this implant is awesome.

Ladders, ladders everywhere!

 The concept of ladders is probably as old as piercing itself. The simplicity of multiple bars however translates into some gorgeous overall pieces. I myself have always toyed with ladders (and corsets) but it wasn't until the past few months that I bought serious jewelry and experienced what a true ladder is. In the picture below my leg has 10 Bio-Flex bars and my arm has 6 45 degree surface bars. Unfortunately the leg bars caught on everything and rejected quickly, so I had to take them out (more on that later). My arm has proven to be rather resilient. It appears slightly pink but there is no irritation or discomfort. They have been in for around two months already and show no signs of worsening. I've also gotten so used to them I can put on shirts without even thinking about them catching a thread. I think the results speak beautifully for themselves.

 You may have noticed my finger in that picture as well. What is shown is a single skin diver with two webbing piercings. It was a nice ring like effect for a short while, but don't be fooled...hand piercings SUCK. The webbing studs lasted about a week before swelling and getting very aggravated with pockets, cigarettes, forks and knives, and basically anything that involves moving your hand. The skin diver lasted a bit longer - somewhere near a month. It was relatively easy to install and healed nicely. Also the profile was small enough to not grab many things. Eventually while moving it caught a crate and ripped out. It didn't hurt, but I was disappointed to have it go. Since then I have played with a few different configurations of finger jewelry. I tried enough that more detail will have to wait until a later post. For now I only have a dermal anchor with a small gem, and have been much more satisfied with it. I do however warn against playing with your hands.

 Getting back to the ladders, I cannot stress the comfort of my arm. I thought they would be short term and relatively painful, but I think they might be my favorite piercing yet. I get tons of questions and positive feedback, and the biggest issue so far is I lost a ball and had to replace it. The bars even twist with my arm (as you can see below) and create a cool effect that gets lots of 'Ooos' and 'Ahhs'. The plastic bars I took out of my left leg were simply moved to my right leg. They are on the outside of my calf this time, and probably more vulnerable, but I couldn't resist. I actually removed and moved them in the same day. And comfort wise you ask? They are so flexible I literally sleep ON them every night, and can walk, run, squat, jump, and more without feeling a thing. The only problem - my pajama pants have loose threads that like to get wrapped around the posts. Nothing a pair of scissors and some cleaning won't fix.

 Before any questions - yes it is very difficult to pierce your own forearm. I used almost all of my tools, long needles, and still had to fish for a few exit holes. I love it now that it's completed, but please don't try it unless you know what you're getting yourself into...