Sarah Jane, 25, tells Bizarre about her play piercing journey:

"Play piercing involves puncturing the skin, usually with hypodermic needles, to achieve a temporary sensory and/or decorative effect. No permanent jewellery is inserted into the holes; the point is to experience the rush of endorphins naturally released into the bloodstream during the piercing process, and perhaps create a piece of short-term body art by arranging the needles in pretty patterns, lacing them together corset-style with ribbons, or attaching flowers like performance artists Syban V and The Vivid Angel do in their shows. I discovered it as a less damaging alternative to self-harm.

PIERCING SCREAMS

If I ever had a scab as a kid I’d pick it relentlessly, stretching out the healing process for weeks; I was fascinated with the pain and sight of squeezing out my blood. As an adult, I had severe depression for a number of years and began slicing myself with a razor. It helped me feel calm and gave physical expression to intangible emotions. Yet it was also terribly dangerous – I ended up in A&E multiple times, and needed to be stitched up on several occasions.

I’ve always been intrigued by body modification, so when I went to university I joined IAM – the forums on mod site BMEzine.com. I spoke to someone on there who used to cut themselves, and had turned to play piercing as a safer substitute. It sounded like a good way of getting myself out of my cycle of self-destruction, so I bought some sterile hypodermics from an online medical supplier, Medisave.co.uk.

My mum's worked as a radiographer and has professional medical knowledge, so I learned from her how to use needles safely: swabbing the area with alcohol wipes first, not piercing too deep or in a risky area, and disposing of used needles straight away in a sharps bin. My parents would rather I pierced myself in a controlled way than hacking with a blade.

WATCH OUT, NEEDLES ABOUT

I found I could run my fingers over the needles while they were lodged inside me and feel them under my epidermis. The sensation wasn’t as harsh as cutting, but it was still satisfying – and being able to move, wiggle and play with the hypodermics gave me time to think and calm down instead of mindlessly, wildly slashing away.

These days, my reasons for play piercing have changed; I do it for enjoyment, and the feeling of utter concentration and peaceful ‘zen’ it gives me, rather than a means of damage limitation. I’ve settled on using 22 gauge needles, which are slightly thinner than those used to take blood samples. They’re fine enough to leave minimal bruising, but thick enough not to snap when I’m manipulating them. I tried fat 16 gauge needles once, but they left gaping holes and hurt like fuck!

CONCEALING AND HEALING

I recently had a half-sleeve tattooed over my old cutting scars, by artist Mr Bubba at his studio in Winchester. He recommended avoiding intricate line work over tough scarring, so we developed a colourful, shaded flower design that’d still look good if it healed patchily. I had the IAM logo inked on my arm too, in tribute to all the modders who helped support me during my low times.

I think mental health should be discussed more openly. Then, finding stability may not feel like looking for a needle in a haystack!"

The photos you can see here are from one of Sarah Jane's play piercing sessions which was also filmed by Rebecca Marie Akkad, a movie maker who’s working on a body mod project due out in September. To see how it's going, visit www.Rebeccamarie.co.uk