Truth or Myth

It’s only to be expected. Since body piercing became popular through a counter culture group, there are a lot of myths and half-truths floating around out there about it. Will your face be paralyzed if your eyebrow is pierced incorrectly? Can a navel piercing damage your uterus? Will a nipple piercing make it impossible for you to nurse your baby? What’s true, and what’s just a myth?

1. Body piercing is for teenagers in rebellion or people who are into weird stuff.

   Think again. A survey by Body Art magazine about body piercing found that 79% of those responding were over the age of 29 and 58% were married or in long term relationships. Less than half consider themselves adventurous, and less than 20% were involved in fetish lifestyles.

2. Body piercing is just a fad and will fade away.

   Body piercing has been practiced throughout the ages. In fact, the oldest mummified body in the world, found in a glacier in Austria, has pierced earlobes. Women in the 1890s pierced their nipples, and ear and nose piercing has been practiced in nearly every culture throughout the world.

3. The safest way to get a body piercing is with a piercing gun.

   No, no and no! In fact, in many states in the U.S., it’s illegal to use a piercing gun on any part of the body other than the earlobe. Piercing guns use a high degree of force to push a blunt rod through the skin, which can lead to bruising, tissue damage and difficult healing. All piercing should be done with a new, sterile, hollow needle by a professional piercer.

4. Getting a piercing is very painful.

   One of the most common questions asked of people with piercings is ‘didn’t that HURT?’. Pain is a relative thing, of course, but most people find that the pain is no worse than a sharp, hard pinch that lasts for just a few seconds.

5. Getting pierced is no big deal. All you need is a friend with a steady hand.

   Ouch! Piercing involves creating an open wound in the skin, which is an invitation to infection and blood borne diseases. A professional piercing studio has the equipment and facilities to perform the piercing under completely sterile conditions to virtually eliminate the danger of contracting diseases like hepatitis C and B, tuberculosis and HIV. Always have any body piercing done at a reputable, clean piercing studio by a professional.

6. A navel piercing can damage your stomach, uterus or other organs.

   Not true. Your internal organs are well protected by a layer of abdominal muscle. When your navel is pierced, the piercing artist will use forceps or a clamp to be sure that only the skin is pierced, not the underlying muscle or other tissue. If the navel ridge isn’t prominent enough, most professionals will refuse to do the piercing.

7. If you pierce the eyebrow the wrong way, you can end up with half of your face paralyzed.

   An eyebrow piercing is made through the skin over the brow ridge. It should never be deep enough to disturb any nerves.

8. Having a beer or glass of wine is a good way to relax before getting pierced.

   Actually, alcohol can increase the chances of excessive bleeding when you get pierced, and most professionals won’t consider doing a piercing on a person who is under the influence.

9. A body piercing is forever.

   Healing depends on the person, but in general, if you decide that you don’t want to sport body jewelry any longer all you have to do is take out the jewelry. Even holes that have been healed for years will often close up on their own.

10. If the piercer punctures a certain vein in your tongue, you can bleed to death.

    Your tongue does contain some major veins, and there may be a lot of bleeding with a tongue piercing, but firm pressure should bring it under control within 5 to 10 minutes. If you take blood thinners, anti-coagulant medication or have a condition like hemophilia, you should think very seriously before being pierced.

Body Piercing Care

The following piercing jewelry care information is strictly advisory and you should consult your physician for care instructions. Should irritation or infection occur, consult your physician.

Navel Piercing

• Clean your belly button 2 times daily (no more, no less) with antibacterial soap. Before cleaning, use a cu-tip soaked in warm water to gently remove any crust that may have formed around the ring.
• In addition to regular cleanings, salt-water soaks work well to promote healing. You can buy non-iodized sea salt and put about 1/2 tsp in 1/4 cup of cooled boiled water. Put this in a shot glass or small medicinal cup and bend over. Place it over your navel, lie down and kill 15 minutes. This helps get rid of any pending infections.
• Other than for cleanings and salt water soaks, leave your piercing alone. Do not move your navel jewelry around. If you want to see it, look in a mirror.
• Avoid swimming pools and spas. If you must, be sure to clean your navel immediately afterwards with antibacterial soap.
• Lavender oil and tea tree oil may help speed healing. To be sure that you are using the essential oils appropriately, consult your piercing professional before using them.
• Wear a waterproof bandage over a new (up to six months) piercing when swimming to avoid bacterial contamination.
• Avoid using laundry detergents that contain stain fighting enzymes on clothing that will come into direct contact with the piercing. The enzymes can impede healing.
• Don’t touch your new belly button piercing with dirty hands.
• Don’t let other people touch it… or lick it.
• Replace your belly button piercing jewelry only after your piercing has completely healed (usually 6 months to a year).
• When you are ready to replace your belly button ring, select a quality piece of jewelry the does not contain nickel to avoid a possible allergic reaction. You can find a great selection of nickel-free gold belly rings at AlluringBody.

Although the belly button piercing is one of the most popular piercings it can be one of the most difficult to heal. It can take anywhere from 6 months to a year to heal. Curved barbells should be used to wear initially after the piercing as they allow for the safest and fastest healing. Wearing tight waistbands or frequent activity involving bending at the waist can prolong healing time. The pressure of waistbands can force the ring to one side causing the piercing to heal crookedly and scar. Too much pressure can cause the piercing to migrate or reject completely.

Oral Piercing (Tongue, cheek, lip, labret)

Many piercing locations involve the mouth and should be considered oral piercings. These include any piercing that has an opening inside the mouth.

• Use an alcohol free mouthwash to rinse your mouth 4-5 times daily for 30-60 seconds, including after meals and at bedtimes
• To clean the outside of the piercing, use sea salt soaks 2-3 times daily and wash with mild anti-microbial soap no more than twice a day.
• Do not touch the piercing or jewelry except for cleaning.
• Always wash your hands with antibacterial soap before touching the piercing or jewelry.
• Dry with disposable paper products rather than a towel or cloth which can harbor germs and bacteria.
• Let small ice chips dissolve in the mouth to help reduce swelling.
• Use ibuprofen or another non-steroidal anti-inflammatory for swelling if needed.
• Avoid tobacco, alcohol, large amounts of caffeine, oral sexual contact (including French kissing), chewing gum and playing with jewelry during healing.
• Avoid overly spicy, hot, salty or acidic foods for a few days.
• Cold drinks can help soothe and reduce swelling during the healing.
• The original jewelry should be replaced with shorter jewelry after the swelling has reduced. See your piercer for this change, as it usually will be during the healing period.

Cartilage Piercing

Next to the navel, piercings to the upper ear cartilage take the longest to heal. Healing times can vary from two months to a year. Cleaning the piercing carefully and caring for it should become part of your daily routine.

• Clean twice daily with mild, antibacterial soap
• Avoid handling the piercing outside of cleaning to reduce the chances for infection.
• Use a cotton ball, gauze square or other disposable product to apply sea salt soaks and to clean the piercing. Don’t use washcloths or face cloths, as they can harbor bacteria.
• Ibuprofen can be used for discomfort or swelling.
• If there is excessive swelling or signs of infection, see your piercing professional and your doctor.
• Change bedding (pillowcases) frequently. You can use the ‘t-shirt trick’ recommended by many piercers. Slip a clean t-shirt over the pillow before bed. The next night, turn the t-shirt inside out. One t-shirt provides four clean surfaces for sleeping.

Nose Piercings

Nasal piercing is popular throughout the world and has been throughout history. All the usual rules of aftercare apply, including:

• Clean the piercing and jewelry twice daily using a cotton swab, gauze pad or other disposable product and a mild anti-bacterial soap
• Do not touch or play with the jewelry. It will damage the tissue and delay healing.
• Salt soaks can help promote healing and reduce swelling in the early days.
• Ibuprofen will help reduce pain and swelling if needed.
• Ice and cold compresses can help reduce swelling if needed.
• Pat- don’t rub- your face dry to avoid catching and pulling on the piercing jewelry.
• Do not remove the jewelry for more than a day at a time, and not at all until it is fully healed.

Typical Healing Times for Body Piercings

Every piercing is different, just as every body is different, but most piercing pros agree on standard healing times for different parts of the body. The chart is below, but you may have some questions about the length of time it takes to heal a piercing. For instance – why does it take so much longer to heal a navel or ear cartilage piercing than it does to heal an earlobe piercing?

Believe it or not, one of the biggest factors is how much blood flows to the area. The more blood vessels and ‘vascular activity’, the faster the area will heal. Thus, ear lobes which have quite a few blood vessels in them, heal in 4-8 weeks. But the cartilaginous part of the ear along the outer rim, which has very little blood flow, can take up to a year to heal completely.

Healing Times

These healing times are not exact, and will be affected by how well you care for your piercing as it heals, of course. Infection and migration may happen. Be sure to follow all aftercare instructions given by your healing professional.

Possible Risks

Like anything in life, piercing your navel or any other part of your body carries some risks with it. You are deliberately opening a wound in your body, and forcing it to heal into a fistula. Before a professional piercer will agree to pierce your navel – or any other part of your body, he or she should, at the very least, give you a sheet detailing the risks involved in a body piercing. A truly conscientious piercer will discuss the risks with you to be sure that you understand them. In general, though, the risks of a body piercing include:

• Infection at the site of the piercing
• Systemic infection arising from the piercing (That’s an infection that’s spread through your system in your blood or through other glands.)
• Infective endocarditis is a particularly nasty infection that affects your heart. It’s very rare, but very serious – it can kill you. If you have a pre-existing heart condition or have ever had surgery to repair a heart condition, you have a higher risk of developing infective endocarditis.
• Scars and/or keloids at the piercing site
• Jewelry migrating – pushing its way out of the skin – can leave nasty scars as well as reopen the original wound
• Blood borne diseases are a risk any time that the skin is punctured. If the equipment used to do your piercing has been in contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person, you run the risk of contracting hepatitis C, hepatitis B, tuberculosis, tetanus and HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
• Allergic reactions to the metal in jewelry is not uncommon. The symptoms of an allergic reaction can range from mildly irritating to life threatening.

You can reduce the likelihood of many of these risks by taking the time to research the piercing studio where you will be pierced, and paying a visit to your doctor in advance. Some precautions that may help you decrease the above risks include:

• Get a tetanus shot from your doctor if you haven’t had one in the last ten years.
• If you have diabetes, a heart condition or any condition that impedes healing or predisposes you to infections, ask your doctor about prophylactic (preventive) antibiotics before your piercing date.
• NEVER attempt to pierce any part of your body yourself, or have a friend do it for you. A reputable professional piercing studio will have the equipment to properly sterilize any equipment and materials that come in contact with your body. That’s vital to avoid blood borne diseases, and will help reduce the chances of other infections as well.
• Follow the aftercare instructions you receive to the letter.
• Don’t handle your piercing or jewelry with your bare hands. If you must, then wash your hands thoroughly with antibiotic soap first.
• Avoid wearing clothing that irritates the piercing site. With navel piercings, it’s a good idea not to wear clothing with a waistband that presses against it.
• Remember that your piercing is not completely healed for up to a year after you have it pierced. Contact your doctor at any sign of infection.

Other Resources

• Body & Facial Piercing Aftercare Guidelines
• Body piercing aftercare
• Tattoos and piercings: What to know beforehand

Choosing a Piercing Professional

According to some sources, navel piercings are the piercing type most often attempted at home, either as a do-it-yourself project, or by a well-meaning friend. Simply put, this is not a good idea. The risk of infection and blood borne diseases rise exponentially when the piercing is done outside a professional piercing studio that follows sterile procedures. In addition, piercing professionals are well-versed in dealing with any emergencies that may arise in the course of the piercing procedure.

Unfortunately, many states don’t require licensing or formal exams for people who perform body piercings. If you’re considering a body piercing, we strongly suggest that you take the time to research the piercing studios in your area rather than choosing one on a whim, or just because a friend recommended it. Your main concern in choosing a reputable piercing professional is cleanliness and safety.

BME magazine, one of the most authoritative if not THE most authoritative sites about piercing on the internet, suggests that you pay an initial visit to the piercing studio BEFORE you intend to have your piercing done. That way, they say, you won’t feel pressured and can take the time to observe the surroundings and procedures. Below is a list of things you should ask about or look for when you make a preliminary visit to the piercing studio.

1. Appearance counts. The shop should be clean and tidy, with counters wiped down and floors and walls swept and washed. The staff should be neat and clean, and the restrooms tidy and clean.
2. According to the Association of Professional Piercers, a good studio will have five separate areas: the counter, the waiting room, piercing rooms, a bathroom and a separate sterilization room.
3. Proper sterilization is key. Do they use an autoclave to sterilize instruments and equipment between uses? Ask to see their spore tests – those are tests run to make sure that the autoclave is working properly. If they don’t have an autoclave or do, but don’t run regular spore tests, find another studio. Your health is too important to risk.
4. Does the studio have a license to operate? Not all states require them, but if your state or city has special codes or licenses for piercing studios, check to be sure that the shop has the necessary licenses. If they haven’t bothered to conform to the law, it’s not likely that they’re following appropriate procedures to do safe, sterile piercings.
5. Ask about the studio’s age requirements. Most studios refuse to perform any body piercing on customers under the age of consent, and many are adamant about not performing particular piercings on those under age eighteen. If a studio seems more interested in making money than in upholding those standards, you may want to find a different piercing palace.
6. Does the shop resterilize used needles? The piercer should, in your presence, open a new, individually packaged needle to be used in your piercing. Do not ever allow a piercer to use a needle on you that has been soaking in liquid, or resterilized.
7. Ask questions. Seriously. Even if you know the answers, you should ask questions of the person who will be doing the piercing and gauge the way that they answer. Ask about experience, how long they’ve been doing this and how they learned.You should get a good sense whether they know their stuff, or whether they have to grope for answers. An experienced piercer will be able to recommend appropriate body jewelry for you, talk to you about aftercare and explain the risks of the procedure without any hesitation.
8. Read the aftercare sheet before you get pierced. A piercing studio should have a standard aftercare sheet. If it mentions using hydrogen peroxide or cleaning your piercing with ointment, you should be concerned that they are not keeping up with industry standards and research.
9. Watch the piercing professional set up for your piercing. He (or she, of course) should wash his hands thoroughly before putting on a new pair of gloves. The equipment should be in sealed, sterile packages placed on a tray. If the piercer touches anything other than you and the sterile equipment after putting on gloves, he should change his gloves. If you have any concerns at all, get up and walk away.
10. If the studio uses a piercing gun, don’t do it. Piercing guns can’t be properly sterilized, and use so much force to drive the stud through skin that they can cause blunt tissue damage. In many states, it’s illegal to use a piercing gun on any part of the body but the earlobe.
11. Do they have a good selection of jewelry? Many piercing studios will not insert jewelry that they do not supply. This is not because they want to make more money, but rather because they can’t be sure of the sterility and quality of jewelry that you buy elsewhere. For that reason, it’s important that they have a good variety of jewelry in order to have the appropriate piece on hand for a piercing. As a rule of thumb, a piercing below the neck should always use 14 gauge jewelry or larger (and since gauges get thinner as the numbers get higher, that means a 12 gauge is okay – an 18 gauge is too thin.) All jewelry should be nickel-free, surgical steel or titanium.
12. Use your instincts. If the place just doesn’t feel right, don’t do it. You don’t want to be the one saying later, “I should have trusted my gut.” Just trust it.

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