Todd Bertrang has been interested in body modification since his teens, when he got his first eyeful of a genuine, live piercing: "My young eyes beheld a beautiful young woman in a long flowing skirt with, of all things, a ring in her nostril," writes Todd in a 1998 letter. "I was so sexually spellbound that I stopped in my tracks, my mouth fell open and I stared at her…. I must have looked really stupid or immature, but I was only eighteen and had never heard of, let alone seen, anyone with a 'nose ring.'"

In the years since, Todd has parlayed his interest into a successful career as an avant garde piercer and cutter. He works out of his home, and also collects and sells classic and antique motorcycles, giving him the financial freedom to continue his exploration of newer (and sometimes controversial) methods of body modification.

To learn more about Todd, visit him on the Web at www.toddbertrang.com.