Yesterday, Lil Uzi Vert finally revealed images of his new body modification — a 24 million dollar diamond implanted into his forehead. The rapper teased the piecing late last month, tweeting that the natural pink diamond is "10 almost 11" carats and that he's been paying for it since 2017
While the diamond is getting a lot of comparisons to Marvel's Vision, it's more likely to be inspired by Naruto. Specifically, the character Tsunade's Strength of a Hundred Seal, which is a purple/pink diamond-shaped seal on her forehead that looks remarkably like the rapper's new jewel.
Lil Uzi Vert has made no secret of his love for the iconic Japanese anime. In April last year, he dropped a track “Sasuke,” named after Naruto's rival, and he also referenced the anime in his 2018 song "New Patek.” He also has various images of Tsunade as his Instagram icon. Previously, the rapper showed his love for anime (though not Naruto this time) with his insane custom car collection, so it's not unexpected for him to pay homage to the anime.
As for how exactly one implants a diamond into their skin, it's actually not complicated. Called dermal implants, the process is a type of piercing where instead of stabbing through two bits of skin, the piercer removes a small section of skin and then implants an anchor in its place which then can hold a jewel.
Healing can take some time, usually up to 12 weeks and there's a possibility that your body can reject the implant. There is also a risk of scarring when removed, and more frighteningly, a chance that the implant can migrate from its original position.
On Instagram stories, Lil Uzi Vert educated his fans on the healing process, many of who commented that the implant was off-center. "It's in the middle," he said. "I just got a long bar in it because I just got it pierced. When the swelling go down I'll get a short bar so it won't move. Y'all keep talking about it off because I got a long bar in it so it can move 'cause of the swelling. When it go down, it gonna be right though."
It might sound strange, but dermal implants are pretty common and are offered at most tattoo studios. In fact, they've gone so mainstream that "finger dermals" have become a micro-trend in the wedding industry, with couples opting for the implants in lieu of traditional engagement rings. Lil Uzi Vert isn't the only celebrity to have gotten an implant either, Cardi B got chest implants last June.
