Yeah, in the end it's just about what's accepted at the time.
People poke holes in their ears to wear earrings too, have breast implants, or have toxic substances injected into their forehead to paralize their muscles, just to get rid of some wrinkles. It's all self mutulation in the end.
As for branding, I think it's ugly. Peronally the only scars that I appreciate are the ones with a story behind them about how they got there, not the ones you put there on purpose. In that way life itself will tattoo you.
