A subdermal implant is form of body modification, a foreign object surgically implanted beneath the skin. The term subdermal comes from the Latin sub (beneath) and the Greek δερμις (skin). The implant may be medical in nature, or it may be for technological purposes (see cyborg) or as a form of decoration (see body art). Body modification (or body alteration) is the permanent or semi-permanent deliberate altering of the human body for non-medical reasons, such as spiritual, various social (markings) or aesthetic. ... A foreign object is a professional wrestling term for an object introduced into the match. ... A typical modern surgery operation For other meanings of the word, see Surgery (disambiguation) Surgery (from the Greek cheirourgia meaning hand work) is the medical specialty that treats diseases or injuries by operative manual and instrumental treatment. ... Latin is an Indo-European language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... 7 of 9, a Borg in Star Trek: Voyager The term cyborg, a portmanteau of cybernetic organism, is used to designate an organism which is a mixture of organic and mechanical (synthetic) parts. ... Body art is art made on, or consisting of, the human body. ...

As in science fiction (e.g., in the Otherland series by Tad Williams), subdermal implants are sometimes used as a form of cultural expression, similar to tattoos or other body modifications. These implants are most often balls or rods made of surgical grade stainless steel, but pearls and some types of plastics can also be used. Implants are usually placed in the arms, hands or forehead to create a raised or textured appearance. Otherland is a four-book science fiction epic by Tad Williams. ... Robert Paul Tad Williams (born March 14, 1957) is the author of several fantasy and science fiction novels, including Tailchasers Song; the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series; the Otherland series and The War of the Flowers. ... A Tattoo is a design in ink or some other pigment, usually decorative or symbolic, placed permanently under the skin. ... Body modification (or body alteration) is the permanent or semi-permanent deliberate altering of the human body for non-medical reasons, such as spiritual, various social (markings) or aesthetic. ... For other things called pearl, see pearl (disambiguation). ...

New surgical techniques in the Netherlands have allowed ophthalmologists to implant microthin metal shapes, such as stars and hearts, underneath the sclera of the eye, and thus visible in the white of the eye. An optical refractor in use. ... The sclera is the white outer coating of the eye. ...

See also

• Body piercing materials