Metal and flesh are in harmony — at times.

With body modification, a simple prick, slash or burn can be used to ornament or manipulate the body.

Some do it for pain. Others for pleasure.

And others are just curious.

And University student Melody Hansen — who has 17 piercings — understands the visceral connection between steel and skin.

“I started as a biology major and I’ve always been really interested in what you can do to your body,” she said. “It’s kind of like a physical manifestation of my imagination, my personality and kind of just how I see myself.”

Hansen’s affinity for hardware, and her appreciation of the professionalism of her piercers downtown at Virtue & Vice, has driven her to accentuate various parts of her body — including her spine.

“I kept coming back to test the waters and push the envelope,” she said. “I found that it was not only a way to express myself, but it’s also technology in my body.”

Out of her 17 piercings, 10 are dermal surface anchors — pierced along her spine.

Melody Hansen, 20, an Art and Spanish major from Atlanta, shows off her nine dermal piercings on her spine in her living room in Athens, Ga. on Nov. 15, 2011. To Hansen, body modification is a form of self-expression. FILE/Staff

Virtue & Vice piercer Bethra Szumski describes surface anchors as a piece of jewelry that has a base, with a stem that sticks up out of the skin and a bead that attaches to the stem.

For Hansen, her desire to have surface anchors along her spine can be boiled down to one thing.

“They’re just really fascinating and so many people are just like, ‘What in the world is that?’” she said. “It’s a mystery. People are really drawn into it and I really like the idea of having hardware in me to put something pretty on me.”

But with any curiosity, there can be a price — and, at many times, a social one.

“I think there’s a stigma with anything that’s considered out of the norm, especially body modification,” Hansen said. “I don’t even know how to explain to people that say, ‘Why do you do that to yourself?’ … It’s me, it’s who I am.”

Randy Smyre, another piercer at Virtue & Vice — who has multiple piercings and tattoos — believes there’s still a certain stigma with piercings and tattoos in society. It just depends where.

“It’s a mixed bag,” he said. “We live in a bubble in Athens and with my day-to-day life I think it’s generally accepted.”

Smyre said he’s oblivious to people looking at him oddly these days — especially in his line of work — but believes people still view some body modification as taboo.

“I do believe there is some discrimination in the workplace,” he said. “That stigma still exists.”

In the business world, Szumski sees hand, face and neck tattoos as a problem — even in some tattoo and piercing shops.

“Even in this business … I know studios that will not hire people with tattoos on their face,” she said. “Our clients are middle-class professional suburban people and do I want some soccer mom to bring her 16-year-old daughter to get pierced by someone totally [decked out]?”

She also believes teenagers that get their arms and hands tattooed in sleeves “pigeon-hole” themselves for future jobs and travel.

“They have no idea of the limitations it puts on you for travel,” she said. “Because they’ve never been outside their city bubble.”

University student Kali Campbell — who has stars tattooed on her fingers and the word “Shhhh….!” on her right index finger — was one of those teenagers to get her hands tattooed.

But for her they’re not an issue.

“Even though they’re on my hands, believe it or not, people don’t notice them,” said the 22-year-old fashion merchandising major. “I guess because I am kind of brown, but most people don’t really notice right off the bat.”

She also believes that in her future career and workplace they won’t be an issue.

“I work at Macy’s now and in retail it’s a little different,” Campbell said. “They kind of expect us to be a little more eccentric in our appearances.”

But for some, tattoos in taboo areas of the body are troublesome — even for tattoo artist John Collins at Walk the Line.

“Honestly, I got my neck and hand tattoos when I was younger in the business,” he said. “I figured it would push me not to get a real job and focus on tattooing … and I really regret it.”

Collins views hand, neck and face tattoos as “job-killers,” and doesn’t like the societal image they conjure.

“Nowadays, with neck, hand and face tattoos, it’s the thug thing to do, like you’re Mr. Badass,” he said. “Now I’m associated with these people that are not businessmen and people that are not contributing to society at all.”

Despite his annoyance with the association, Collins won’t necessarily turn away a customer asking for tattoos in those areas.

“If somebody is determined to get their hands, neck and face tattooed they’re going to get it one way or another, so it may as well be done well,” he said. “If some 18-year-old kid walks in and says, ‘I want my face tattooed,’ I’m going to try and talk him out of it, because it’s a terrible fucking decision.”

Campbell is aware of the notions revolving around body modification. And, having multiple tattoos — other than her fingers — she has strategically concealed them with her clothing.

“Me being in the business world, I didn’t want to push it too far,” she said. “The hands are good enough and it’s something I can cover up with makeup.”

But there are other kinds of body modification, beyond piercings or tattoos. There is also branding.

“It’s definitely a little more niche, I would say,” said Smyre, who has a small spiral brand on his right wrist. “And my exposure is more professionally done.”

Smyre recalls seeing members of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity in the past with the “Omega” symbol branded on their arms, when they would come in for a tattoo.

“I used to see a lot of stuff done with fraternity initiations and stuff like that,” he said. “But I don’t see that as much anymore.”

Indeed, scarification can be considered the “Wild West” of body modification.

“It usually involves some removal of flesh,” Smyre said. “And it’s an uncontrollable form of body modification.”

Smyre also said that scarification is often banned in many states and counties due to its resemblance to surgery — often using scalpels to create scars.

For her part, Hansen hasn’t thought about getting any scarification done and tattoos aren’t part of her plan … for the time being.

But she’s always curious, and she’s not afraid of a little pinch.

“A lot of people are afraid of piercings because it hurts, but pain is temporary,” Hansen said. “Pain is temporary, but pride is forever.”

Words to Know:

Branding: Heating a needle and dragging it along the skin. The skin then rises into a keloid or is an inverted scar.

Surface anchors: a piece of jewelry that has a base, with a stem that sticks up out of the skin and a bead attached.