What is ink rubbing?
Ink rubbing, first popularised primarily by cutters working inside of the lesbian S&M community, is cutting where tattoo ink (or other colouring agent) is rubbed into the fresh cut. Much of the ink stays lodged in the cut, resulting in a coloured scar. That said, usually a great deal of the ink falls out with the scabs, leaving what looks more like a poorly done tattoo than what the general public will recognise as an ink rubbing. Is an ink rubbing cared for differently than a normal cutting? It is essential that the fresh scabs from an ink rubbing NOT be picked. Just like a tattoo, if you pick the scabs, you will pull out the ink. Let the scabs fall off naturally. Once the ink is fully encapsulated in the scar, you can rub the scar if you want, but not before. How much does a cutting hurt? With a sharp scalpel and even cuts, it’s no worse in pain than a tattoo — for many people less. That said, it’s a very different feeling to be cut, almost like long paper-cuts, over and over. While
