Dermatographia as Body Art.

Ariana suffers from dermatographia, a skin disorder that affects up to 5% of the population. But instead of hiding her skin disorder, which is what most people do, she has found a most unique way of dealing with it. She ‘paints’ with her dermatographia.



Dermatographia (’writing on the skin’) causes any scratched or rubbed skin to become reddened and raised. It looks and feels a lot like hives. And just like hives, the redness, itchiness, and swelling disappears, usually within 30 minutes.



Instead of wishing these raised and reddened areas away, Ariana activitly encourages them with the blunt end of a knitting needle. Her skin as a canvas, she creates interesting designs and patterns.

Ariana, who has a MFA in Photography from the University of Washington, then photographs these artistic creations before they disappear. Some photographs become prints, others are enlarged and become wallpaper.



Talk about utilizing your resources and minimizing your outlay. There is no money spent on paint and the canvas is reusable. It’s ingenious, creative, and apparently selling well. In fact, some of her art has sold for nearly $4,500.