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Bagelhead Trend in Japan Lox of Fun?

By S.C. Stringfellow | Update Date: Oct 01, 2012 12:30 PM EDT

Nowadays, body modifications are all the rage. Young people (and some not-so-young people) have multiple tattoos and/or piercings.  These modifications are a way to rebel and stand apart from everyone else.  In societies across the globe, there is a line of what type and how much body modification is socially acceptable.  

A good rule of thumb is whether your body art or modification would hinder you in finding a job or a place to live.Some body modifications are cosmetic. Nose jobs, liposuction, breast augmentation or reduction are surgical procedures which change one's appearance.  

Botox is routinely used to smooth out wrinkles or give some people the appearance of full lips.A new trend in Japan pushes Saline use to a new edge.  It's called Bagel Head Injections. In an upcoming episode of "Taboo", which airs on the National Geographic Channel, the beauty look is shown in great detail in which a bagel head appearance is created by injecting saline into the forehead, then pressing in the center of the swollen area with a thumb.  

The procedure is a hit in the country's underground body modification scene.The dramatic results of the two-hour treatment last just 16-24 hours, after which the saline is absorbed by the body and the forehead reduces back to its normal size.

The extraordinary look, which is created by injecting saline into the forehead, then pressing in the center of the swollen area with a thumb, is a hit on the country's underground body modification scene.The dramatic results of the two-hour treatment last just 16-24 hours, after which the saline is absorbed by the body and the forehead reduces back to its normal size. One bagel-ee describes it as feeling like "something's dripping down his head" and a "slight stinging sensation." The trend was initially sparked by the artist Keroppy, according to an interview in Vice Magazine last year.He told the magazine how he came across it in Toronto, Canada, at the extreme body modification convention Modcon in 1999.

"I happened to meet Jerome, who was the person who pioneered saline infusions,' he explained. 'We stayed in contact, then eventually I experienced saline with him in 2003 and he gave me permission to bring it to Japan.I set up a team in Tokyo to administer infusions for other people. That's been going since 2007."

He said fans of the procedure enjoy 'saline parties' about twice a year, though some people will take their 'bagel head' to clubs and fetish parties.The saline injections can be done on any part of the body - some people have even had 'scrotal infusions', he revealed - but for the most part, it is just the forehead.Japanese fads typically show up here within a year.  Don't be surprised if your teenager wants a Bagel Head before going back to school next year. 

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