Hi

I have seen many examples of branding and if you don’t want to go down the laser route you are best having the branding done first.

The reason for this is that branding is not an exact thing and the scar from the burn will only conform roughly to the shape of the brand if it is a traditional brand not strike branding or cautery application.

The healing time of a brand can be as long as 3 months and you can be prone to infection as well if not looked after.

Once that it is healed best to wait another 3 months before adding pigment to the area as the lower levels of skin need to be fully healed. Hence you tattoo after a brand not before as you also run the risk of scarring outside of the brand or discoloration of the skin.

Depending on your pigmentation as well there is also the risk of keloidal scarring.

I would seriously think hard before contemplating a brand it is nothing like getting tattooed and carries a lot more risk.

Below is a piece of my research I did that covers some of this.

Cauterising Branding (also known as Cautery Branding)

This form of scarification is done with a tool similar to that of a soldering iron. The artist uses the heat of the unit to burn away the skin in controlled bursts, creating the pattern of the scar.

Electrocautery/cauterisation (also known as laser branding)

This method involves using a surgical laser unit to burn through the skin tissue by forcing an electric spark to pass through the area. This intense heat means that very fine lines can be drawn for scarification.

Keloid Scarification

Keloid scarification is where the wound is raised or swollen to give a 3D look to the scar tissue.

It is suggested that the more melanin present in the skin means that the person may be more susceptible to this form of scarring.

In many African tribes that practiced scarification, they often employed the use of covering the wound in a poultice of dirt and clay. This would cause the scar to inflame and push out the foreign body, resulting in a keloid scar.

Take care
Matthew