(NaturalNews) The tattoo craze has gone from bad to worse. And it's not just in America actually. Folks from Europe and Japan have also gone beyond regular tattoos and into 3D tattoos and even gone to extreme body modifications that are actually plastic surgeries performed mostly by "evolving" body artists otherwise known as tattoo artists.

Tattoos that look like flowers or snakes surrounding one's neck along with body piercing have become ways to attract attention or be in with others who do the same. Along with these often obnoxiously detracting and permanent images comes a potential long-term health reaction from the heavy metals used in tattoo inks that are pierced into the skin.

Ironically, opting to remove them via laser techniques may further the dangers of metal toxicity. The heavy metals in commonly used tattoo inks include mercury, arsenic and cadmium among others with their share of carcinogens and endocrine disrupters.

Some "body artists" claim that they have researched inks to use that are not as toxic, though they are likely the exception, not the rule.

The images of 3D tattoos and extreme body modifications can be very upsetting to anyone who is half-way sane. And Dr. Anthony Youn, a plastic surgeon from Detroit, displays a few of those photos on his CNN article "Body modification -- or mutilation?"

He also provides a link in that article for an international website that features once-humanoid folks becoming freaky creatures, truly upsetting imagery and some horrific scenes of the types of mutilation that you'd expect as special effects in horror movies.

You can see what some of these eccentric individuals are up to throughout different parts of the world, not just the USA.

These aren't costumes; these are mutilated bodies created for display

Did you have a quick look on that site using the above link? Was it as repulsive to you as it was to this author who was assigned this topic and wished he hadn't put it off until just before going to bed in the wee hours?

Dr. Youn wrote in his CNN article, "Extreme body modification procedures are almost never performed by actual physicians. These treatments are more often associated with tattoo parlors than medical offices. In fact, I've never heard of a single plastic surgeon who's admitted to performing extreme body modification. And because actual doctors aren't involved, the patients don't benefit from modern anesthetics."

Maybe you're not aware of any plastic surgeons who perform these insanities, Dr. Youn, but your article contained a photo of Filipino fashion designer Herbert Chavez, who apparently underwent "legitimate" plastic surgery to transform himself into being a more convincing Superman when in costume.

He had his nose thinned and a cleft made in his chin. He also had silicone injected for fuller lips, liposuction to flatten out his abdomen and implants to bulk up his buttocks and hips.

Then, of course, there was Michael Jackson, who never really needed facial changes but pursued them within conventional plastic surgery procedures to redo his image and instead wound up looking rather freaky, actually. There have been Hollywood types experimenting with image changes through surgery with sometimes disastrous results.

But the "Cat Man" who actually had his face and hands reshaped permanently to look like a cat is a winner. Folks, this kind of thing is known as body mutilation. Then there is the image of a guy who has real lumps implanted in his forehead to look like small horns as he approaches his goal of looking like a devil. Intentionally split tongues are performed by "body artists" as part of extreme body modifications.

Interestingly, Dr. Youn's practice reforms some of these intentionally deformed people, especially those whose ear lobes were grossly enlarged by inserting rings into them -- a.k.a. gauge ear rings -- when they wake up and realize that what they thought was cool is not really so cool anymore, especially if they want to get a decent job or find a normal-looking mate.

Sources:
http://endoftheamericandream.com

http://thetruthwins.com

http://www.cnn.com

http://www.dailymail.co.uk