tatoos are weak...

i'm getting one of these instead. i think i'll head down to the scar wars convention in philly.

Branding:
Branding is scarification, usually through the application of a heated material (usually metal) to the skin, making a serious burn which eventually becomes a scar. Ideally a healed branding looks like a pattern of thick raised lines, slightly lighter than skin colour (when fully healed). However, the amount of raising or keloiding varies greatly, dependant on a large number of factors. Sometimes they even inset rather than raise.

Cutting:
A cutting is a design cut into the skin using a sharp blade, leaving a fine scar. With a sharp scalpel and even cuts, it's not much different in pain than a tattoo - for many people even less.

Skin Removal:
Skin removal branding is one of the most intense kinds of scarification -- the design is cut out and the entire piece of skin is torn off. The eventual healed result is usually a slightly recesses scar.