Body Piercing Terminology [A - C]
September 30, 2004
By: Lori Wilkerson
Body Piercing is becoming more and more popular these days and
there are dozens of different types of piercings you can get. There
are also lots technical terms for the how’s and why’s of the
procedures and taking care of them afterwards.
When you walk into a piercing parlor to get a new piercing,
whether it’s your first or your fiftieth, you may hear some words
you haven’t heard before. Once you’re in that chair and about to
have a hole put in your face or some other body part, you may be too
intimidated or swept away by the adrenaline of the moment to stop
and ask “What the heck are you talking about?” But you should always
know exactly what’s going on, so take a look at the terms below and
you’ll know what’s going on every step of the way and be prepared to
ask intelligent questions.
- Acrylic
A hard plastic used for body jewelry that is manufactured to dental
grade standards. It can be clear or brilliantly tinted.
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- Alcohol Swab
A small cloth
or cotton ball swab saturated in isopropyl rubbing alcohol that used
to be used to clean the area of skin before a piercing. This is no
longer done because of its limited effectiveness in getting rid of
enough bacteria and the tendency to overly dry the skin. Don’t use
these to prep the area for piercing.
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- Alloy
A metal that is comprised of a mixture of at least two different
types of metals. For instance, 18K gold is only 75% pure gold, but
is preferred because pure gold is too soft to be used for most
jewelry.
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- Anaphylactic Shock
An extreme allergic reaction, usually to an antibiotic given to
treat an infection or other disease. In rare cases, if a piercing
becomes infected and penicillin or some other antibiotic is given
to an individual that is allergic to it, they may suffer the
symptoms of anaphylactic shock, which include difficulty
breathing, swelling of the face, mouth and tongue, rapid pulse,
collapse, and even death. It can be treated with immediate medical
attention.
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- Anti-eyebrow
A surface facial piercing that is located high on the cheekbone,
below the eye. It is usually done with a curved barbell or modified
surface staple.
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- Anti-tragus
The ridge of cartilage that is opposite the tragus, which comes
out over the ear canal.
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- APP
The most prominent trade organization for professional body
piercers, the Association of Professional Piercers. This
non-profit group has very high standards and works on legislation
to enforce health and safety standards in the industry. Their
website is www.safepiercing.org. [top]
- Argyria
If silver jewelry is used for a piercing, the skin around the area
will often turn black as silver is leached into the wound. This
condition is called Argyria, and is one reason why you should
never use silver jewelry until a piercing is completely healed.
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- Aspiration
In body piercing, it is when you have accidentally breathed a piece
of body jewelry (usually from a tongue piercing) into your lungs.
This is an emergency and requires a trip to the hospital
immediately.
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- Attachments
Any type of dangle, add-on or trim that can be attached to a
barbell or ring to enhance the look of the primary body jewelry.
Some attachments may be stationary while others may swing or move.
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- Autoclave
A high temperature, medical sterilization device that uses high
pressure steam heat to sterilize all tools and piercing equipment
before being used.
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- Back piercing
Surface piercings, usually done with either straight or curved
barbells, done on the back.
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- Bananabell
A curved barbell designed for navel piercings, it has two different
sized balls on the ends to fit more comfortably in the belly button.
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- Barbell
Standard piercing jewelry with a rod that goes through the
piercing and a ball at either end to hold the bar in place.
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- Belly Button Ring
Also called a navel ring, this is a piece of jewelry, usually a curved
barbell, that goes through the flesh at the top of the belly
button and comes out the actual belly button opening.
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- Blowout
When part of the skin inside a piercing is forced out of the skin
tunnel as a result of trying to stretch a piercing too rapidly. This
leaves a flap of flesh that hangs outside the piercing hole, and can
have a tingling sensation.
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- BME
The most knowledgeable online ezine to all things related to body
modification, including piercing and tattooing. The focus tends to
be on the more extreme side of body modification.
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- Body Modification
Refers to any kind of procedure that deliberately changes or
enhances the body for aesthetic or personal reasons, but
especially certain forms of body art such as piercing, stretching
and tattooing.
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- Body Suspension
An extreme activity using body piercings to suspend the human body
from hooks or other devices for spiritual, artistic or ritualistic
reasons.
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- Bottom Navel Piercing
A navel piercing with the hole going through the flap of skin below
the belly button itself rather than the upper flap of skin.
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- Branding
A type of body modification that is applied to the body with heat
with the goal of producing an artistic and aesthetically pleasing
scar. The heat destroys the skin tissue, and when healed
leaves a scar. Also referred to as scarification.
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- Bridge Piercing
A rare piercing horizontally through the bridge of the nose. This
is difficult and can be painful due to the thickness of the area.
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- Bump
A small bump resembling a pimple, this red or white bump forms next
to the piercing hole (most often on nostril and nipple piercings).
Sea salt soaks and warm compresses will help heal them.
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- Calipers
A measuring device used to accurately determine where to place
piercings on the body and to determine the size and gauge of
jewelry needed for tongue piercings. It can be used to measure
distances and thicknesses.
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- Cannula
A narrow plastic sleeve around the outside of a piercing needle.
When piercing, the sleeve stays in place after the needle is
withdrawn and is then used as a guide in order to put the jewelry
into place before being removed.
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About the Author:
Lori Wilkerson is a full-time freelance writer who loves her work
because it gives her the opportunity to learn more about the world
every day. Right now, she knows a little bit about almost
everything, and a lot about body jewelry, wholesale body jewelry, and
toe rings. She has two dogs who are spoiled and one teenager who
is not.
Also See: [
Piercing Aftercare &
Healing Essentials for Piercings ]
[
Historical Information About Body Piercings ]
[
The Body
Piercing Process ]
Home Page: [ Body Jewelry You Seek ]
Body Piercing Jewelry
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