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54 comments to "Skin Condition Dermatographia Made Into Art"
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su.wei
February 3rd, 2008 at
6:48 am
the first three photos are interesting…but kinda gross. BUT the last pic with the writing is oddly beautiful.
neat-0 -
MoonCake
February 3rd, 2008 at
7:22 am
this is really neat! great discovery, alex!
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ted
February 3rd, 2008 at
8:30 am
Disturbing. I think that woman mght need a little help before she ends up putting her nipples in her ears.
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actionmonkey
February 3rd, 2008 at
9:15 am
I have the same condition, it’s good to know what it’s called now
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Adam Fuhrer
February 3rd, 2008 at
10:41 am
Umm.. Wow!
Thats all I can say. -
bean
February 3rd, 2008 at
1:35 pm
Ted -
Wait, that chick can put her nipples in her ears? That I’d like to see. -
ska
February 3rd, 2008 at
2:13 pm
she needs to get a tan
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Lester
February 3rd, 2008 at
2:27 pm
I also got dermatographia a few months ago (and still have it)… It sucks. At random times of the day, you’ll feel itchy somewhere on your body or face, and just barely scratch at it or rub at it to get rid of the itch and it turns into a giant welt. Dermatographism can last for several years. I hope mine doesn’t…
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Pudifoot
February 3rd, 2008 at
2:38 pm
ewwww
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jordankills
February 3rd, 2008 at
2:50 pm
I’ve had this condition for as long as I can remember, and tried my hardest to keep it from my friends. In secret, I’d draw all over my arms and legs and always thought it was neat that I could make my own temporary tattoos. I’d love to give Ariana a high-5, but we’d probably just end up getting itchy.
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Dan Smith
February 3rd, 2008 at
3:30 pm
I have a friend who’s got this…his name is…Jordan. (^^^jordankills???)
Anyways, I think I’d like to have this condition, at least for a short while. I could draw cool stuff on my face and then have the coolest facebook profile picture. If you’ve got this, don’t be embaressed, it rules. It’s a good ice breaker/party trick/attention grabber.
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VonSkippy
February 3rd, 2008 at
3:49 pm
Think of the short-term note taking possibilities.
Plus you’d never be without a etch-a-sketch if she was your friend.
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L
February 3rd, 2008 at
3:58 pm
Hmmm… I wonder if she ever used her talent during exams? Looks painful, at any rate. But I guess it can’t be that bad if she does this art voluntarily.
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Ali S.
February 3rd, 2008 at
4:40 pm
@ L
That was what I was thinking but then again I’m sure the proctors/observers would be wondering why someone is staring at their arms so frequently.
I can’t say I’d like to have this condition but I’d like to have only a patch on my arm for temporary tattoos. I’m too scared to get one myself (permanently)
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NeuroGirl
February 3rd, 2008 at
5:08 pm
I have a mild version of this. It’s funny when you rub the back of your neck and people start telling you, in a very alarmed tone, that you have some kind of rash.
@ ska: most people that develop this condition have very fair skin that doesn’t tan
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Oomi
February 3rd, 2008 at
5:40 pm
That last pic looks painful. Must throb like hell.
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Jacki
February 3rd, 2008 at
7:19 pm
My sister has this. Heh. Never knew it was a condition…they aren’t as raised and well-defined as the photos.
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amberae
February 3rd, 2008 at
7:47 pm
it’s eerily beautiful. the human body as an blank canvas has always been something of great interest. this is something that I’ve never seen anyone take advantage of, and it’s not perminant. I’d just like to point out to everyone the “painlessly” in the original text.
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kateri
February 3rd, 2008 at
11:14 pm
I have this condition, but I’ve never thought to make art out of it.
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Lea
February 4th, 2008 at
3:42 pm
That seems like it would be painful…I hope it doesn’t aggravate the condition…
but it’s so creative and really…just a good outlook in general to be able to take an uncomfortable condition and turn it into something beautiful. -
Ethan
February 4th, 2008 at
4:48 pm
Can people not read? “This allows me to painlessly draw patterns …” she says. What’s with all the comments about how painful it must be?
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Chris
February 4th, 2008 at
8:56 pm
Had this condition myself; lasted a few months and then went away. Annoying as all hell though, so it’s pretty interesting how she made the most of it.
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Steve
February 4th, 2008 at
8:59 pm
Wow. I too have this to a lesser degree… had no idea it had a name. Mostly it’s on my back. Friends used to play tic-tac-toe on my back at parties. I never thought to let people do art with it… will have to offer it up as a temporary canvas!
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allan
February 4th, 2008 at
9:11 pm
disturbing, but cool.. but doesn’t that hurt? i mean, i did that some time ago and my skin hurts so much.. and no i don’t have the skin condition..
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Claire
February 4th, 2008 at
9:18 pm
Amazing! I have this condition too, and people always ask me if I hurt myself! Usually because I scratched my shoulder or neck and I look like I was whipped with a cat o’ nine tails. Truly, it doesn’t hurt, it takes almost no pressure to make my skin raised and red.
Mine has gotten better since I was in high school, but I’ve had it for at least 10 years. I wonder if it’s still sensitive to make art on…I’ll have to find some artistically inclined friends!
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Holla
February 4th, 2008 at
9:19 pm
I would love to do a whole scene on someone instead of just patterns.
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Tim
February 4th, 2008 at
9:53 pm
I’ve had that condition but I got over it. The terrible thing about it is that when you do get scratched, the swelling itself gets really itchy and I eventually give into the temptation and scratch it, causing it to spread. I’m not sure how I got over it, but I’ve been watching what I put into my body and I’m still confused. The good thing is that it’s GONE.
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Dr. Awkward
February 4th, 2008 at
9:55 pm
Sweet. Well done turning an annoyance into something really cool.
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lilricky
February 4th, 2008 at
10:26 pm
Check out the images, they were cropped with photoshop. If you open the first image in photoshop you can see a thumbnail of the original uncropped photo. Lets just say that theres a little bit more skin revealed than what she intended to show
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bryan
February 5th, 2008 at
12:22 am
Had the chance to see her work before and talk with her. She does great work.
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spank
February 5th, 2008 at
1:00 am
you have gorgeous skin, beautiful pictures
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smoothlou
February 5th, 2008 at
1:26 am
The pics are really cool. I too have this, since I was about 13 I think, and I had no idea that some people could only get it for a short period of time. Also, while it’s not all that painful, the itching can get to be a bit much…
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Matt
February 5th, 2008 at
2:06 am
I had this last year, it sucks. Not paying attention then you look down and your stomach, or your neck or your arms are massively itchy and they have welts on them. Its thought to be caused by stress. For me I had to get rid of some stressors in my life, I think thats what helped me get rid of it
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Larfin Jackarse
February 5th, 2008 at
7:44 am
For what it is worth.
I picked up a variant of this 17 years ago in the mountains of Sulawesi (Indonesia) by swimming in the 1 star hotel pool (used to be a 5 star) and I couldn’t resist the lovely open sewer pit (I mean pool). Got some in the mouth…..big moistake.
No pain, no ability to write letters (well this never occurred to me) but lots of itching. Cortisone helps but pills are bad news so lots of scrip high-cortisone cream (in Oz at least). In the last 12 months I have been going to a UV clinic (run by skin Doctor’s) and they burn it out of you with high UV. Very effective.
It doesn’t help my mind that two young Ozians females just died of sunbed UV exposure.
I hope my comments help somebody because until the last skin quack, none of them had any idea. They all called annular arrhythmia (which is quackian for ‘no effin idea’).
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RandomAhole
February 5th, 2008 at
8:57 am
Uhh. I need eye bleach now. This seems somewhat emo.
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Marco
February 5th, 2008 at
10:24 am
What about sex? Is that a problem or…
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Spacelady
February 6th, 2008 at
1:53 pm
I think this is absolutely beautiful and wish I could play and photograph you… any chance your in or coming to or could come to Calgary, Alberta?
Gorgeous, and I love that you have that humor to play and use this GIFT so wisely. !!
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anonymous
February 6th, 2008 at
10:54 pm
wow. beautiful. and so pale ._. the last pic was really, i dunno, the writing was kinda entrancing
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JPS
February 7th, 2008 at
6:14 pm
Just FYI - I have the same condition and have found that a Claritin (or generic equivalent) taken a few times a week keeps the symptoms away completely.
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knottylindsi
February 7th, 2008 at
9:00 pm
Wow! So interesting and a great way to take advantage of the situation. Very beautiful
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kateri
February 7th, 2008 at
9:55 pm
It doesn’t hurt at all. I discovered I had this from just sitting on a park bench. the seat going into the back of my legs triggered it.
And just like JPS said, I found that Zyrtec kept in under control.
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isa
February 7th, 2008 at
10:23 pm
fascinating and beautiful.
by the way, ska, no, she does not need to get a tan. fair skin is lovely.
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Jamison
February 8th, 2008 at
10:53 pm
yeah, I’ve had this skin condition all my life, great to finally know the name of it.
it’s great for keeping your arms warm if you’re stuck out in the cold without a jacket. as far as sex goes, it doesn’t seem to be a problem for me there, unless I’m just really rough with my skin there. shaving anywhere on my body is a bitch though. my face and elsewhere will swell up if I try to get in close, especially with a dull razor. then the itching starts.
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Dani
February 9th, 2008 at
9:29 pm
I’ve always had this condition.] Very rarely itches, it does get warm where I’ve been scratched. Oh, and that last picture looks neat. I’ll bet it’s when the welt is starting to go back, because all the redness around the swelling goes away well before the welt does. Also, if I touch the welt, it changes color to white momentarily. There’s a name for that, but I can’t remember off hand. It doesn’t worsen the condition to write on my skin and it doesn’t really last that long. Benadryl and Claritin don’t completely prevent the swelling on my skin, but may have reduced the amount of swelling a little. Anyway, it doesn’t interfere in my life and I’ve never thought about taking anything to stop it. And yes, like everyone’s been pointing out, it absolutely does not hurt.
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Dani
February 9th, 2008 at
9:35 pm
Oh, and interestingly enough. It’s genetic. My 3 children have it, too!
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MadDog
March 14th, 2008 at
10:55 pm
Seatown represent!
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LolaRennt
April 5th, 2008 at
9:41 pm
I’ve had that condition since I was 12. I’d guess that puberty caused more than just the obvious changes.
I’m almost 35 now so I’m guessing it’s here to stay.
Ariana must have some pretty good self restraint. The light scratches that cause the welting shown would have caused me some considerable itchiness, leading to a long scratchfest.
Glad to learn that this thing has a name and I’m not the only person out there with it…
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Nettie
April 7th, 2008 at
9:38 am
I’ve had this condition for years but my doc said it wasn’t unusual since I have allergies, eczema and asthma. I’ve always just called it ’skin writing’ since it’s easier to remember!
The best thing about it is you have a pretty cool party trick, plus you can amuse yourself easily if you’ve got time to waste, the worst thing is the accidentally scratching your face and having strangers come up and exclaim ‘Oh my God! What ever has happened to you???’
Antihistamines work well to reduce the effects but they only seem to control it temporarily. -
Coco
April 10th, 2008 at
7:17 am
I have the same condition. It’s bothersome most of the time–I can’t get near anything that has a raised or rough surface as it can cause the welts. Sometimes, however, my skin condition amazes me–I also draw and write on my skin like Ariana. It makes for a good conversation piece, too. Hahaha.
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Irritated1986
June 18th, 2008 at
9:33 am
You guys are all crazy who thinks that this is cool. obviously you don’t understand how irritating it is. how much it can burn or itch and how bad it is to not ba able to go anywhere without looking like a freaking tomato. people always asking “what the hell is on your neck”….. it sucks okay. but all you can do is take tablets…
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Arthur
June 26th, 2008 at
6:57 am
Ha I have this aswell!
It is genetic, i doubt u got it from a swimming pool…
My mates used o draw things like nazi symbols on my forearms infront of my jewish drama teacher.
or make a slit on my wrist…
funnny stuff -
Zoe
August 25th, 2008 at
9:01 pm
I’ve had this condition for about the last 3 years, mine burns like hell when i first scratch but its still my party trick!!
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mel
October 28th, 2008 at
1:41 am
I’m 31, have had this for 10 years. My doctor says this is a mild version of an autoimmune disorder called mast cell disease. There are too many mast cells in my body but they are weak. Mast cells are concentrated mostly in the skin, lungs and GI tract. I get my blood/urine tested every 6 months to make sure it doesn’t progress. If you have “skin writing” disease and asthma and sensitive stomach/ulcers you should get a hold of a GOOD doctor and try to understand why your body is making so much histamine. Zyrtec and claritin don’t do too much except make me feel more tired. Blood tests show I’m not allergic to anything but the histamine attacks make me feel like I’m going to have a heart attack. Let me know if anyone else with dermatographia has these other symptoms.
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Pat
November 21st, 2008 at
5:43 am
I’m 27 years old and I started to develop this a few days ago. I thought I had some new allergic reaction to something and tried searching the internet on what could be causing it. When I saw a picture on wikipedia of someone scratching numbers on their arm, I thought I’d give it a try my running my finger one time on my arm and it turned into some kind of rash in the form of the letter I scratched. I hope this does away because the itching is really bothering me.
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