51 Absolutely Fascinating Photos Of The Human Body That My Brain Actually Cannot Process

1.Did you know it's possible to be born without fingerprints? It's called adermatoglyphia.

A thumb with ink on it and an ink thumbprint on a white surface beside it. Other fingers resting on a denim fabric
jedWanderMouse / Via reddit.com

2.It's also possible to be born with a naturally forked tongue.

Close-up of a person with their tongue sticking out. No other details are present, and the person's identity is not clear
u/Iamurcouch / Via reddit.com

3.Everyone has a frenulum, a bit of tissue underneath their tongue that connects it to the bottom of their mouth. In some people, it may be too short or thick, impeding speech or tongue movement. Fixing it is easy—you just laser it off! Which is not horrifying at all.

A close-up image of a person's open mouth showing their teeth and tongue. The person is wearing a dark shirt with a graphic
u/DejaBlonde / Via reddit.com

4.This isn't a photo of a body part, but it's still wildly interesting to me. Did you know that people sometimes swallow tiny cameras so doctors can better understand what's going on in their digestive tracts?

A hand holds a PillCam device, a small, capsule-shaped medical camera used for internal examinations
u/petitesBetises / Via reddit.com

5.Eye injuries are equally cool and terrifying to me. Fun fact: metals rust extremely quickly in your eye and the rust must be separately extracted even after the metal is gone. This is why you wear safety goggles, kids!

Close-up of a human eye
u/sandpirate_88 / Via reddit.com

6.Eye injuries can do permanent damage to your eye. Check out this person who had a hanger stuck in their eye 11 years prior.

A close-up of a person's open eye, showing detailed patterns in the iris and pupil
u/b_z / Via reddit.com

7.Did you know your retina can actually become detached? Here's what surgery looks like to fix it.

Close-up of a surgical procedure on a human eye, with multiple gloved hands using medical instruments for precision work
BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

8.And here's what your eye might look like while it's recovering.

A close-up shot of an eye a few weeks after retinal detachment surgery, showing a detached lens in the pupil
u/megmatthews20 / Via reddit.com

9.If you're like me, you've had multiple cysts removed from your head, but if you haven't...well, prepare to be disturbed by what one of them looks like.

A gloved hand holds a medical gauze with a small, bloodied mass that has hair attached to it. The background shows part of a chair and an indistinct room
u/blinkbunny182 / Via reddit.com

10.This person has screws holding their vertebrae in place due to their extreme scoliosis. Also, they have FORKED RIBS on one side, so that's fun. Oddly, OP says they don't experience much back pain!

X-ray image showing a spine with metal rods and screws implanted, indicating spinal surgery
u/amelia_kreyts / Via reddit.com

11.Ever wondered what a plate and screw embedded into your body might look like? Basically, exactly how you're picturing!

A metal orthopedic plate with five holes alongside four screws on a plain background
u/tarf123 / Via reddit.com

12.Most people have moles, but I bet you've never seen one like this. Still, as long as it's always looked like this, it's likely benign!

A person's arm with a large, textured, blackened patch on their skin. The background shows part of a chair and a mirror in what appears to be a medical or tattoo setting
u/ScumBunny / Via reddit.com

13.Did you know that some moles have no color at all? In fact, the only way you know they're there might be because the area grows extra hair.

A close-up of a person's unshaven leg with visible hair growth on the thigh area. The background shows a wooden floor
u/_Jeffra / Via reddit.com

14.If you've never had stitches, you may not know that they often need more than one knot. This is likely overkill, but it still looks kind of cool.

A person's finger with stitches on a wound, likely in a medical setting
u/Sablestein / Via reddit.com

15.But some cuts don't need stitches anymore. You may have heard of doctors using staples — or even glue.

A close-up of an open hand with a visible purple bruise or mark on the palm, taken outdoors on a sidewalk with grass nearby
dbenzev / Via reddit.com

16.Did you know that wearing retainers can actually change the shape of your tongue?

A close-up photo of the lower half of a man’s face showing a beard and a large, protruding tongue
u/OfTheirOwnAccord / Via reddit.com

17.After some surgeries and removals, you actually need to have a drain stitched into the procedure location to help drain fluids that build up in the surgery's aftermath. In layperson's terms, you have a straw sticking out of you.

A person with surgical stitches on the side of their face near the ear and neck, with some visible healing wounds and dried blood
deathsdotters / Via reddit.com

18.I'm kind of obsessed with the fact that when you get a burn, your skin color can come back in dots. It just looks so cool.

Close-up of a hand showing a patch of irritated skin with redness and dryness
u/Joshnaks / Via reddit.com

19.Here's how much eye color can change naturally over the years! These photos are from ages 2, 6, 17, and 29.

Close-up images of eyes spanning different ages, from a baby to an adult. No names provided
u/corilee93 / Via reddit.com

20.These metal bars used to be inside someone's BODY. Basically, they were put there for three years to fix a sunken breastbone. According to OP, it felt like an extra bone, except it MOVED when they breathed too deeply and would sometimes get STUCK on the muscles inside their body.

A person holding a wrapped surgical instrument with their left hand. The person is wearing a pink and a white hospital wristband
u/ToxicSocks24 / Via reddit.com

21.Fun fact: if you get a bad sunburn that begins to peel and then you sweat, little pockets of sweat may form under that layer of skin. Cool AND gross, right?

Close-up of a person's neck showing raised bumps and uneven skin texture alongside stubble
u/wifi_is_fake / Via reddit.com

22.People receiving radiation therapy often have to wear a mask of their face, and this 100% belongs on r/OddlyTerrifying.

A medical perforated mask on a stainless steel tray, with small labeled paper strips attached to it. A tissue box is in the background
u/unpaid_overtime / Via reddit.com

23.In case you've ever wondered how much salt is in our sweat, you can see in this example where the moisture evaporated, leaving the salt.

A close-up view of a person's leg with a prominent area of dry and peeling skin running down the center. Laundry is visible on the floor in the background
u/talking_phallus / Via reddit.com

24.For some reason, this is not how I expected a tooth nerve to look.

A close-up of an extracted human tooth resting on the palm of a hand, showing visible wear and a cavity on its surface
u/New_Mode_330 / Via reddit.com

25.This photo makes me grateful I have never had a root canal.

A small white object, possibly a hair or fiber, rests on a surface with a red stripe
u/MeAndMyHobo / Via reddit.com

26.This person still has an outline of their mother's thumb imprinted on their arm after getting a serious burn from tipping over boiling water as a child. Their mother quickly grabbed their arm to run it under cold water, but the part where her finger was burned itself onto OP's skin.

A close-up of a man's inner forearm and hand, showing prominent veins and wrinkles
u/YoeriValentin / Via reddit.com

27.Did you know that if you sever a nerve in your finger, it could stop being able to prune?

Three wrinkled fingers with the middle finger marked by a blue dashed line
u/WhiskeyForElephants / Via reddit.com

28.Seeing this person with no middle joints in their fingers kind of freaks me out, but I also can't look away.

A close-up image of a raised left hand with fingers spread apart
u/JayFayad / Via reddit.com

29.Here's what it looks like to have hand, foot, and mouth disease.

A close-up of a person's thumb held up, with household furniture blurred in the background. The skin on the thumb appears textured. Names unknown
u/CaptainBlobTheSuprem / Via reddit.com

30.Here's what it looks like to have Raynaud's — when you don't get enough blood flow to your extremities.

A hand displaying a medical condition where the fingers are discolored, with the tips appearing pale and the rest of the hand a darker shade
u/Cyndakon2 / Via reddit.com

31.Blisters due to extreme heat and extreme cold actually look remarkably similar.

Close-up of a person pressing their two thumbs together, showing calluses on the joints
u/lottybugatti / Via reddit.com

32.Here's what it looks like on an X-ray to have an extra finger.

An X-ray image of a human hand with skeletal structures and joints clearly visible, showing the thumb, index, middle, ring, and pinky fingers
u/doi11 / Via reddit.com

33.And here's what it looks like to be missing a finger. Fun fact: since your thumb is your most important finger, if you're born without one, doctors will usually form one out of one of your other fingers.

Two images of a left hand on a wooden surface. The top image shows the back of the hand, and the bottom image shows the palm of the hand
u/howdoichooseafandom / Via reddit.com

34.You've probably heard the falsehood that blood is blue before it's exposed to oxygen. It's not — but it is MUCH darker.

Two labeled blood bags, one darker and one lighter, placed on a medical countertop. White elastic bands secure the tubing on each bag
u/Aryxii / Via reddit.com

35.This is what it looks like to have an extra artery in your ear (the photo on the right is after it was removed).

Two close-up side-by-side images showing a person's ear before (left) and after (right) otoplasty surgery
u/bannysexdang / Via reddit.com

36.This is what it looks like to have hereditary angioedema, where your body will just randomly swell.

Two photos showing open hands with bent fingertips in different positions, possibly indicating a medical condition
u/insangele / Via reddit.com

37.Sometimes, people's hands will swell after exercise.

Four images of a person's hand from various angles, including back and palm views, showing different positions like a flat hand, clenched fingers, and spreading fingers apart
u/mariefury / Via reddit.com

38.And *this* can happen to your hand (or any other body part) if you have CRPS disorder, which usually occurs after an injury.

A person shows a comparison of their two hands, one appearing normal while the other is swollen and discolored
u/MikeAndBike / Via reddit.com

39.It takes some people a long, long time to lose their last baby tooth — this person finally got their last one removed at 24. I actually still have a baby tooth because it has very long roots, and there is no adult tooth beneath it.

Two side-by-side close-up images of the same person showing a dental transformation with straighter teeth
[deleted] / Via reddit.com

40.It's also possible to have extra teeth.

Dental X-ray showing teeth and jawbone
u/SensitivePassenger / Via reddit.com

41.And no, I'm not talking about wisdom teeth. Though this poor soul has SEVEN.

X-ray image of teeth showing four impacted wisdom teeth circled in red
u/dredgeops / Via reddit.com

42.Relatedly, this is the kind of bruising you can see after getting your wisdom teeth out. Fun, right?

A shirtless person with noticeable bruising and yellow discoloration on the neck and upper chest. Face is partially visible
u/ToIA / Via reddit.com

43.This is how nasty bruises can get from rubber bullets.

A person's leg with four large, dark bruises and open sores, seated on a chair indoors
u/Ciocolatel / Via reddit.com

44.You've probably heard that you should elevate an injury. This will cause fluid to drain "up" — and you may literally be able to see that on the bruise.

A close-up of a bruised leg resting on a soft surface. The leg has significant bruising and discoloration. No people are identified in the image
u/melancholyroadtrip / Via reddit.com

45.This is how effective k-tape can be at mitigating bruising.

Bruised arm with visible linear marks extending from the elbow, showing significant, multi-colored bruising
u/Beginning-Delivery54 / Via reddit.com

46.I guess this isn't technically a body photo, but I still think it's wild to see how arm hair collects sawdust.

A close-up view of an arm covered in a thick layer of brownish, stringy, fibrous material, resembling tree roots or plant fibers. The background shows green grass
u/Leightonius / Via reddit.com

47.This is what severe hives look like.

A person’s leg is covered in red, raised, patchy skin, likely indicating a rash or skin condition, as they lie in bed with partially visible blankets
u/doomed_moonfruit / Via reddit.com

48.This is what a human head looks like cut in half.

Human head anatomical cross-section display showing a face with eyes closed on one half and detailed internal structures on the other
u/mr_ingenieur / Via reddit.com

49.This is how sharply a tan can change the color of your skin.

A person's legs and feet displaying a significant tan line, with the lower legs being much darker than the feet
u/jjaid / Via reddit.com

50.Did you know nearby scars can actually change how your nails grow?

Close-up image of a person's thumb with visible horizontal ridges on the fingernail
u/T1MEKilla / Via reddit.com

51.And finally, in case you were wondering, this is what an octopus bite looks like.

A hand with a small circular wound on the back, surrounded by a drawn outline. A band-aid is positioned near the wound. The hand rests on a towel
u/Madi_the_Insane / Via reddit.com