Dermal Anchors - The latest ‘craze’?
These things are tiny!
The latest ‘buzz’ in the body modification world are these dermal anchors - much, much smaller than their older sibling the transdermal implant, they are easily (by a competent piercer) fitted, using nothing more than a normal piercing needle.
So why all the ‘buzz’?
Well for a start, dermal anchors can be placed virtually anywhere, unlike traditional ’surface’ piercings. This opens a door to a whole new range of piercings - neck, chest, head; all possible and likely to fully settle than existing methods of piercing.
How?
The piercer makes a small ‘pocket’ with a 2mm needle and places the anchor in it. These anchors come with an extension post - The idea being that if you swell a lot, the post can be fitted and you won’t swell over the post. In many cases it isn’t required and can be more irritating to leave it in, as the likelihood of knocking during healing increases.
Update 01/03/07
The dermal punch now seems to be the preferred method for fitting these.
Experience
How does it feel? Well the people that have had it say that there is very little discomfort - much like a normal piercing but without the ‘pop’ as the needle doesn’t need to pierce right through the skin.
Healing
Because there is very little trauma to the surrounding tissue, healing time tends to be minimal in the people we’ve seen. Saline soaks can be used if there is any lymphatic discharge and bio oil is useful to promote healing and getting the tissue to ‘bond’ back.
Success rate?
Because this procedure is relatively new it’s hard to get any solid numbers, due to the limited sample size. Anecdotal evidence suggests that this should have a very high rate of success.
Cost?
Dermal anchors are currently quite expensive - they are made from implant grade titanium and the amount of labour in each one is staggering!
Our Verdict
I think that these are a great new concept - If you are unsure, I’d say wait for a while - the price will come down a little and we’ll know more about how these settle. If you’re desperate to get one, then go for it!
Where?
Most piercers will be able to perform this procedure once they’ve been trained - So this may be another reason to wait - why be a guinea pig 
I can personally recommend Kalima in Worthing as they are one of the first studios in the UK to undertake this procedure.
Update 30/04/08
I would recommend you find someone competent and experienced to implant these; there have been a few cases of dermal anchors being ‘lost’ during the procedure!
Stu.