People Are Literally Getting Palm Line Surgery for Better Fortunes

There's fate, and then there's science. But sometimes—just sometimes—the two will join in an unholy union, spawning a monster bearing the worst qualities of both. And that is where cosmetic, surgical palm line adjustment comes in. Because occasionally destiny needs a little shove in the right direction. With a scalpel.

In Japan, palm reading is still one of the most prominent methods of predicting the future. But this isn't the dark ages any more, and what with the iPhones and the virtual reality and the immediate access to hot singles in your area, we have the technology now to do practically anything. So naturally, one woman figured if you want to change your future (and your palm lines determine that future) might as well take it straight to the source.

She went to plastic surgeon Takaaki Matsuoka, who after reading about a similar surgery being done in Korea, decided to go with an electric scalpel. And as Matsuoka told the Daily Beast, this is far from hocus pocus kind of stuff:

If you try to create a palm line with a laser, it heals, and it won’t leave a clear mark. You have to use the electric scalpel and make a shaky incision on purpose, because palm lines are never completely straight. If you don’t burn the skin and just use a plain scalpel, the lines don’t form. It’s not a difficult surgery, but it has to be done right.

As for whether or not it works, Matsuoka is a bit less certain, noting that "it's not like the palm lines are really written in stone... They do change with time." Yeah, especially when you take a searing hot knife to your hand.

So far no analysis has been done on its effectiveness, but Matsuoka believes any success can probably be chalked up to the placebo effect. You'll never really know unless you find out for yourself, though, and a brand new future can be yours for the low, one-time payment of $1,000. More here.